Sun. Dec 22nd, 2024
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Arteta tells Arsenal stars to continue rowing

MIKEL ARTETA has told his Gunners to carry on rowing if they want title glory.

The Arsenal boss bizarrely made light of Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s furious midweek bust-up by joking they have now made up by “sharing wives”.

But Arteta says without his players pushing each other, their Premier League dreams will be confined to “Disneyland”.

If Arsenal beat table-toppers Liverpool on Sunday, they will move two points off them.

The Emirates blockbuster comes just five days after White and Zinchenko had to be pulled apart as they clashed over conceding a late goal in the 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.

Asked if the defenders were friends again, Arteta quipped: “They have been in the same house the past few days — sharing wives and everything!

“It’s fine, they’re living together now. They are best mates.”

More seriously, Arteta added: “You don’t argue with someone if you don’t have a great relationship.

“You need the trust and chemistry with somebody to react the way they did.

“I love it. As long as it’s in a respectful way and with the intention to be more demanding as a team and it stays there.

“A conversation can get heated with emotion after the game. It’s normal.

“I want my players to have desire to be better and be demanding. If not, it’s Disneyland.”

Credit: GETTY

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