MIKEL ARTETA warns there will be no room for sentiment at Goodison Park tonight — as he looks to turn the crowd on struggling Everton.
Arsene Wenger used to say there were no more passionate fans in football than on the blue half of Merseyside.
Ex-Everton midfielder Arteta plans to take advantage of that intensity to revive his Arsenal side’s top-four bid.
Arteta spent six years playing for David Moyes’ Toffees and said: “I have been at Goodison in great moments and I can tell you as a player the atmosphere is incredible.
“It’s pretty difficult to assess what is actually happening from watching on TV, but I imagine when that crowd is not with the team it is harder for them to play.
“I know Rafa Benitez personally and, with the experience he has, he knows much better than me how to handle these kind of situations.
“But when you’re competing with a manager who is under pressure, you must go toe to toe because they are going to do the same for sure.”
Arteta’s first game as Arsenal boss in December 2019 was a tepid goalless draw at Goodison.
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But with his former club on a run of eight Premier League games without a win and the crowd turning ugly, he knows tonight’s encounter will be much spicier.
Victory for Arsenal will strengthen his growing conviction that Champions League qualification is very possible.
Arteta said: “When you look at the league table, the top three teams are really consistent and they win with big margins. They look superior to the rest and it’s clear that there is a gap there. But for the group of teams behind them there is a lot of balance and not much between us.
“So now we need to find the consistency in results and go for the top four.”
One player who needs to step up to the challenge is Thomas Partey, whose recent performances have been a real source of frustration for many Arsenal supporters.
Midfielder Partey, 28, was supposed to be a Gunners’ game-changer when he was signed from Atletico Madrid for a £45million fee last year.
But the Ghanaian star has struggled with injuries and therefore rarely imposed himself in the engine room.
Arteta said: “The supporters have seen the quality Thomas can bring and they want to see that more often.
“The frustration is not related to the money we paid for him. It is because he can produce more and he knows that.
“The fact that he’s had so many injuries has not helped, because he hasn’t found the platform to physically be at his best. Then he has had some games where he has been more consistent than in others.
“He’s an important player in our team and obviously it’s not ideal that we’ve missed him for long, long periods since he joined us.
“The fact that we have had to make a number of changes in midfield doesn’t give him the consistency of a partnership with someone to get to understand each other.
“But injuries are a part of football which you have to adapt to and our challenge is just to find a way to get the best out of Thomas.”
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