Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed Arsenal will take the Carabao Cup just as seriously as any other competition as the Gunners head to London Stadium to take on West Ham United in the fourth round on Wednesday.
Arsenal fought hard to knock out Brentford 1-0 away from home in September to reach this level, and the Gunners manager believes another tricky awaits as the north London giants plot to defeat another fellow Premier League side in their quest to advance further in the completion.
Arteta wants Arsenal to be at their best against West Ham
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s clash against West Ham, Arteta said: “Doing what we are doing, being consistent and playing better than the opponent, means tomorrow against West Ham is going to be a really tough game.”
“It always is away from home against them and we want to continue with the momentum and form that we’re in. That’s it.”
“I live it exactly the same as the Premier League. I have the same feeling in my tummy, the same uncertainty, the same way to prepare. I’m going to be there close to the game and I just want to win the game, for sure.”
Arteta’s stern mentality about cup competitions has already seen him get rewarded with the FA Cup and the Community Shield in his managerial stint so far. He went on to say that winning the Carabao Cup would help the mentality of the players and perhaps inspire them to challenge for even bigger trophies.
“Even if you are doing rotations [of the squad], I think the role of the players is now to be committed to the challenge of the trophy and this game.”
“I think it’s critical for them to show what they can do and when it’s really important and they are given a chance and a moment when they are in or out, how are you going to approach that game and are you going to win the game for the team? I think if you want to grow as a team and you don’t have that mindset, it’s very difficult.”
“The mindset of every three days being able to do it in different ways, when you have a big game next to it or when you just played in the Champions League, what’s the behaviour of the team? How the team responds to that is very important.”
