Interview

'We're building some leadership in this group'

For all the talk of how the club has invested in youth, Mikel Arteta is confident that the character of his squad means that there are a number of natural leaders emerging.

Martin Odegaard captured the headlines with his match-winning goal at Burnley on Saturday and the positivity of his performance, but our manager says he's far from the only one to show his personality.

"I think we are building some leadership in the group," Arteta told Arsenal Media. "It’s a really young group, with a lot of players under 23. 

"Martin is the captain of the national team and Sambi was the captain at Anderlecht. Martin has this capacity to do that with his talent, taking the ball in moments where others probably refuse to, but as well with his attitude, his rhythm and the way he presses and puts people under pressure.

"He’s probably the first to do [those defensive responsibilities]. I was really impressed with Auba as well - I think his rhythm and high pressing was fantastic. 

"It was a real commitment and purpose because you can go to try and win the ball or put pressure [on] - but you can tell when you are really doing it or when you’ve been told to do it. 

"There was a big meaning behind it and when you go to places like that, when you are having difficult moments and you want to start to get results, I think you have to go to those basics and have every single player do that, even the ones that came on - I think they were superb, lifted the momentum of the team and took us to a different level. I think that’s really important."

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