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No ‘quick fix’ for struggling Arsenal, says Arteta London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta said Arsenal knew there would be no “quick fix” after he arrived at the club as he scrambles for solutions following a disastrous start to the Premier League season. The Gunners head into Saturday’s Premier League match at Everton languishing in 15th place in the table following a 1-1 draw against Southampton. Arsenal’s winless league run now stretches to six matches, with the club enduring their worst start to a top-flight season since 1974/75. The 13-time English champions have scored just 11 goals in their 13 league matches, fewer than all but three clubs. But Arteta insisted on Friday the “project” was focused on the long term, with Sunday marking his one-year anniversary in charge at the Emirates. The Spaniard said he had felt supported by the club hierarchy from the moment he took over following the departure of Unai Emery last December. “At the end of the day, it is the feeling that I feel with the staff, with the coaching, with the players, which is the most important,” said the 38-year-old. “It’s about what chemistry you have with them, what understanding they have. Do they follow you? Do they believe in what you are trying to do?” Arteta said everybody at Arsenal was pulling in the same direction but finding stability would take time after a “big shake-up”. “We all knew — at least the people who made the decision with me to start this new project — that this was not a quick fix and it was going to take time,” he said. “When you are shaking things up, things can take a while.” Arteta recovered from contracting coronavirus earlier this year to guide Arsenal to FA Cup glory, with victory over Chelsea at Wembley on August 1. “We have made a lot of progress and implanted a lot of positive things that have worked really well,” said the former Arsenal and Everton midfielder. But he said the club’s poor Premier League form had dampened the mood at the Emirates. “I think it could have been a really, really positive year, but the recent form in the Premier League is taking the gloss off what we have done in the calendar year,” he added. “But we have to accept that our Premier League form in recent weeks is not good enough for this football club.”


London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta said Arsenal knew there would be no “quick fix” after he arrived at the club as he scrambles for solutions following a disastrous start to the Premier League season.

The Gunners head into Saturday’s Premier League match at Everton languishing in 15th place in the table following a 1-1 draw against Southampton.

Arsenal’s winless league run now stretches to six matches, with the club enduring their worst start to a top-flight season since 1974/75.

The 13-time English champions have scored just 11 goals in their 13 league matches, fewer than all but three clubs.

But Arteta insisted on Friday the “project” was focused on the long term, with Sunday marking his one-year anniversary in charge at the Emirates.

The Spaniard said he had felt supported by the club hierarchy from the moment he took over following the departure of Unai Emery last December.

“At the end of the day, it is the feeling that I feel with the staff, with the coaching, with the players, which is the most important,” said the 38-year-old.

“It’s about what chemistry you have with them, what understanding they have. Do they follow you? Do they believe in what you are trying to do?”

Arteta said everybody at Arsenal was pulling in the same direction but finding stability would take time after a “big shake-up”.

“We all knew — at least the people who made the decision with me to start this new project — that this was not a quick fix and it was going to take time,” he said.

“When you are shaking things up, things can take a while.”

Arteta recovered from contracting coronavirus earlier this year to guide Arsenal to FA Cup glory, with victory over Chelsea at Wembley on August 1.

“We have made a lot of progress and implanted a lot of positive things that have worked really well,” said the former Arsenal and Everton midfielder.

But he said the club’s poor Premier League form had dampened the mood at the Emirates.

“I think it could have been a really, really positive year, but the recent form in the Premier League is taking the gloss off what we have done in the calendar year,” he added.

“But we have to accept that our Premier League form in recent weeks is not good enough for this football club.”



from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/37wyT9P
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Barcelona (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said he is prepared for the “biggest challenge of his career” before leaving Qatar for Spain on Saturday, as Barcelona’s legendary former midfielder returns home to take over as coach. Xavi’s appointment was confirmed by Barca in the early hours of Saturday morning and the 41-year-old will be presented to fans at Camp Nou on Monday. “I’m very happy as you can imagine, it’s the biggest challenge of my career,” Xavi told Spanish journalists at Doha airport. “I’m going home and I am very happy.” Xavi faces a huge challenge, with Barcelona adrift of La Liga’s top four, struggling to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League and grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. “I have also experienced bad situations,” Xavi said. “It’s not the best moment in the history of the club but I want to explain what my idea is and to work hard, to make a team. Obviously the first thing is to talk to the players to see how they are.” Xavi left...
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Rangers brush aside title rivals Hearts Glasgow (AFP) – Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo fired Rangers to a 2-0 win at Hearts on Sunday as the Scottish Premiership leaders extended their strong start under new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Van Bronckhorst has won four successive league games since replacing Steven Gerrard after his predecessor’s move to Aston Villa. Morelos and Aribo scored in the early stages at Tynecastle, giving Rangers six consecutive league victories encompassing the end of Gerrard’s reign. Hearts had Josh Ginnelly sent off late on as they squandered a chance to close the gap on the champions. Rangers are 12 points clear of third placed Hearts and seven ahead of second placed Celtic, who host Motherwell later on Sunday. Van Bronckhorst made six changes to the Rangers side that began Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Lyon in the Europa League. Liam Boyce had a great chance to open the scoring for Hearts in the third minute when he ran on to John Souttar’s clipped ball over the top, but the Northern Ireland striker saw his lob tipped over by Allan McGregor. It was Rangers who scored with their first chance of the match after nine minutes when Ryan Kent’s cross reached Fashion Sakala and the Zambian cut the ball back to Morelos, who fired home from six yards out. Sakala shot just wide from close range moments later before Morelos headed wide from James Tavernier’s corner. Rangers’ second goal came in the 13th minute when Aribo ran on to a brilliant long diagonal from Connor Goldson and fired an angled low shot beyond the exposed Craig Gordon. Gary Mackay-Steven saw his angled shot pushed behind by McGregor early in the second half. Rangers had a let-off in the 53rd minute when Calvin Bassey knocked a Ginnelly cross off the underside of his own crossbar. Rangers remained a threat, however, and Scott Arfield and Sakala were both denied by saves from Gordon. Boyce fired over from close range after being set up by Mackay-Steven before Stephen Kingsley cracked a free kick off the bar from 30 yards out. In the 80th minute, Ginnelly was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for squaring up to Borna Barisic.

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