‘Energy is everything, in life, in sport'

Mikel Arteta has hailed the importance of our fans ahead of his first home game as our new head coach.

We host Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and the new boss hopes a positive result will be the springboard for a positive new year.

"I think energy is everything, in life in football and in sport," Arteta said. "If we are able to generate this, it will give us a lift. 

"I was really pleased with how the fans treated the players [at Bournemouth] and I was happy that the players went to see the fans after the game as well because we need that connection. Slowly, we need to build that back to where it was. It's going to be very powerful for us to use that.

"We play for [the fans]. At the end of the day, they're expecting a lot from us. We have to give them enjoyment, we have to make their lives better and when we win, it will be better because they will be happier. It's our responsibility and we have to do everything we can to achieve that."