Arsenal managed a 1-0 win at Sporting Lisbon to put one foot into the semi-final of the Champions League.
A late winner from Kai Havertz was enough for the Gunners and they will now look to finish the job at The Emirates.
Havertz’s goal late on came from a fine piece of attacking play from Gabriel Martinelli, meaning two of Arsenal’s subs combined to get the job done.
Indeed, those subs combining was testament to Mikel Arteta’s willingness to win and that was something Theo Walcott picked up on.
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Mikel Arteta praised for trying to win the game against Sporting Lisbon
We often see managers in Europe looking to shut up shop and simply take a 0-0 draw back to the home tie but there was none of that thinking from Mikel Arteta.
Instead, he threw on attacking players and according to Theo Walcott, the Gunners boss deserves credit for that.
“Arsenal would probably have been happy with the draw in the end, however, you’ve got to give credit to Mikel because he brought on Max Dowman, he brought on Martinelli and Havertz, where some managers at times would probably shy away from that and take the draw and beat them at home,” Walcott said.
“So credit to the manager because that’s a positive influence in the squad straight away, and I think they needed it. They need that injection of energy and incredible finish, really, really good finish.”
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We all know that the onus is on the players to make things happen on the field but it’s always worth remembering that managers are worth their weight in gold too.
If we look back at the Sir Alex Ferguson era of Man United, he was the one who went gung-ho with tactics right until the death, resulting in that infamous win in Barcelona in 1999.
Likewise, we’ve seen coaches like Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola make changes in game or pre-emptive to get their teams over the line in tight games.
Mikel Arteta showed tonight he is willing to take the right actions and crucially, take risks.
If that does see Arsenal into the semi-final and then beyond, it’s worth remembering to give credit where it’s due to the Gunners boss.
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