EFL Cup

Mikel Arteta: 'I will defend Arsenal with teeth and nails'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 19 January 2022

Mikel Arteta vows to defend Arsenal with "teeth and nails" following criticism over their request to postpone the North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has vowed to defend his club with "teeth and nails" following a wave of criticism over the postponement of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners' request to reschedule Sunday's North London derby was accepted by the Premier League due to a combination of injuries, COVID-19 and players away at the Africa Cup of Nations, but Arsenal were condemned for applying for the postponement with no more than two coronavirus cases.

The Premier League affirmed that Arsenal did not have the required number of players available to fulfil the fixture, and Arteta has now issued a staunch defence of his club in the wake of the criticism.

"I think more than hate there is a lot of respect for Arsenal and that comes from the history of the club, how it's always acted and how it's always conducted itself," Arteta told reporters ahead of Thursday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg with Liverpool.

"We know we did the right thing. We worked with the Premier League and the FA to make that decision. If anything we've been very honest at least.

"We will defend our club with teeth and nails. We're not going to get anybody damaging our name or trying to spread lies."

Martin Odegaard is expected to return from COVID-19 isolation in time to feature in midweek, while the recently-recalled Miguel Azeez is another confirmed coronavirus case in Arteta's ranks.