Emmanuel Petit is impressed with the friendship that exists between the Arsenal players
|Emmanuel Petit has revealed that he admires the camaraderie between the Arsenal squad as they look to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
The Gunners are currently top of the league table following 17 games, and they are desperate to go one better this term after finishing runners-up behind Manchester City last season.
Arsenal have been in fine form for large chunks of the campaign, and while Petit reckons they cannot be compared with the title-winning squad in 1998, he believes the friendship between the players would go a long way in boosting their chances of winning the Premier League this term.
“There is one thing in particular that I really like, that I admire a lot because it really speaks to me,” the former Arsenal star told GFFN.
“It’s the friendship that exists between the players. There’s a real friendship that you can feel, that you can see on the pitch, you can see in their behaviour. The other day when Ramsdale played, at the end of the match all the players ran over to see him, to put their arms around him, to console him, because it must be very hard for him to be in his situation. The same thing with Kai Havertz when he scored his goal last weekend. You see it when a player has had a bad game – they’re immediately comforted by teammates.
“There’s no guy there with a bad mentality, it’s a squad that gets on very, very well on a human level, and you can feel it – that not only do they take pleasure in playing together but also in experiencing these moments together, which for me is very important.
“There are egos but there isn’t too much ego. It’s always the team that takes precedence, that is the priority – it is not the individual that takes over. And for me you have Mikel Arteta to thank, for his management – which was tough, but he put in place rules in the changing room and on the pitch.
“But really, it’s a pleasure, a source of pride, to watch these Gunners play, in their behaviour, in their style of play, but also in their attitude – I have a lot of affection for people in this team – I think that I would have got on well with a lot of the players, on the pitch and off it.”
Arsenal fell short towards the end of the campaign last term having been top of the league for 248 days and will be desperate to avoid a repeat in the coming months.
Injuries have affected their squad depth so far this term and Arteta could be forced to bolster his ranks next month by signing some quality players.
Financial Fair Play could restrict the Gunners from splashing the cash during the January transfer window, and they may need to resolve to pursuing loan deals.
Arsenal are one of the favourites to win the title, but they need to turn up when it matters most and ensure they maintain their consistency until the very end of the campaign.