Arteta was pleased for one player in particularplaceholder image
Arteta was pleased for one player in particular | Getty Images
Mikel Arteta was delighted with the impact of one player in Tuesday night’s cup win over Crystal Palace.
The two teams then had to wade through 16 penalties before Arsenal could be crowned semi-finalists, with all-but one penalty being scored.
It is yet another confidence boost for Arsenal, who remain alive and well in all competitions, and after the game, Arteta had special praise for holding midfielder Christian Norgaard, who started to make only his ninth appearance of the season across all competitions, so far only playing twice in the league.
Asked about the Dane’s impact, Arteta said after the game: “Very well. He did very, very well. But I'm not surprised that when we brought him and we had those discussions, he understood perfectly what his role was. He's someone that, like Kepa, does everybody around the team much better. And when you need him to play and perform, he does it.”
Having such quality players to rotate into the team is a ‘privilege’ for Arteta, who has not had such impressive depth until this season. “I see it as a privilege,” added the Spaniard. “Because of the attitude of the players, they make your job a joy. We had situations where we didn’t have a choice and up front for many months we had a situation, and now we have a situation in the backline.
“But it doesn’t matter. We have situations like Cristhian [Mosquera], like Kepa, like any player who is there constantly. Whatever the role that they have on the day or in training, they fulfil it. And then when they play, that’s what they do. And every player has to be with that mindset because you’re going to have a big role to play. You want to achieve what you want to achieve and it’s going to be the only way. So I’m very happy that everybody who is now available is with that mindset, with that attitude. And then when they have to play, they perform like they did today.”
Reaching the final four
Arsenal will face London rivals Chelsea over two legs in the semi-final, heading to Stamford Bridge for the first leg, and Arteta is delighted to have reserved a spot in the final four.
“I’m very happy. We’re in the semi-final, it’s where we wanted to be. I’m really happy considering the amount of changes that we’ve made – the cohesion and the energy and the quality that the team showed against a team that is very, very well organised and concedes very few chances.
“We generated a lot and the margin should have been much bigger after 94 minutes. It wasn’t, and when that happens the [other] teams have the quality to hurt you in any set-piece, and we conceded the goal. That was emotionally tough to accept after the way the game went. But I think we stayed calm, we showed great composure and quality in the penalty shootout and I’m very happy as well for Kepa, that at the end he made the last save and we are through.”
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