Mikel Arteta has called on his team to create a snowball effect by winning the Carabao Cup
Mikel Arteta is urging Arsenal to go all the way in the Carabao Cup to help his team develop a “contagious” taste for silverware.
The Gunners host Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals on Wednesday night having struggled to a scoreless draw against Everton at the weekend.
And while Arteta continues to face questions over whether his side are capable of creating enough chances in open play, he believes winning a first League Cup since 1992-93 can catapult the club to further glories.
The majority of Arteta’s young squad have not won a major trophy and he thinks getting their hands on a medal could create a snowball effect. “It gives you trust, belief,” he said. “The fact you’ve done it is contagious for the rest and it’s difficult to replicate when you haven’t done it and you have the hunger to do it. We have to look at it from that perspective.”
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Arteta celebrates five years in the job this Friday and has overseen a dramatic improvement at the Emirates. But he only has one FA Cup and two Community Shields to show for it.
And while he will rotate his team against Palace, he stressed that Arsenal will “do everything we can” to reach the semi-finals.
Consecutive league draws have checked momentum but they are unbeaten in eight across all competitions despite criticism around an over-reliance on set-pieces.
“In the past six we’ve won four and drawn two but we deserved to win all of them by a mile,” Arteta said. “We’re not happy because we want to win the six of them.
Mikel Arteta with the winners shield after The FA Community Shield match between Manchester City and Arsenal
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“I fully trust the squad and our players. From the amount [of chances] we generate in the match and how little we concede, I fully trust my players.”
Declan Rice could feature after coming off against Everton with a knock but Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori remain out injured. Arteta is also confident that Gabriel Jesus can end his eight-game goal drought while praising the Brazil forward for his all-round play.
The 27-year-old has found the net just once this season, away to Preston in October, and made only two league starts while battling minor injuries.
“I’m looking forward to that [Jesus scoring],” Arteta added. “He does everything in the best possible way - his application, how he is trying and how he wants it. He needs to be rewarded for it. Hopefully it’s very soon.
“I don’t know if it’s confidence but obviously he’s got that will for the ball to go into the back of the net and he starts to have some momentum from that.
“In the end he plays in a position where he needs to deliver those moments. He’s really trying.”
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