admin
LONDON. — Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he has not tried to establish his authority through a “dictatorial” approach and that “respect and commitment” from the players is non-negotiable if he is to stay at the English Premiership football club.
Arteta’s comments come after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was removed as captain last week following a disciplinary breach.
Aubameyang, who signed a new three-year contract with the club last year, was dropped ahead of this month’s 2-0 win over West Ham United after he returned late from a trip abroad.
Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy earlier this month after his latest disciplinary breach and has missed the club’s last four games against Southampton, West Ham United, Leeds United and Sunderland.
The 32-year-old has also been exiled from first-team training and will continue to train alone before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations next month.
Arteta dismissed suggestions he has been too uncompromising when speaking to reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
The Arsenal boss added his handling of the situation is not a method to establish his authority, insisting he just wants ”respect and commitment” from his players.
“I do not establish my authority by being dictatorial or ruthless,” Arteta said in comments published by British media on Thursday.
“I just ask for one thing – respect and commitment. At this level, if I don’t get that, I’ll pack my bags and go somewhere else because that’s the minimum I can ask for. “To be successful you have to be passionate about something and, if you want to represent a club of this size, that is the minimum standard you have to bring.
“I am not going to ask anybody to put the ball into the top corner every time they hit it, but I will ask them to do the right things every single day for this club.
“I am sorry but I am going to expect that from everybody who works for the club. First of all myself.
“And the day I don’t do that, I walk through that door and go and do something else. It is as clear as that.
English Premiership Fixtures
Tomorrow (Boxing Day): Wolverhampton Wanderers v Watford (postponed); Liverpool v Leeds (postponed); Manchester City v Leicester City (5pm); Burnley v Everton (postponed); West Ham v Southampton (5pm); Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace (5pm); Norwich City v Arsenal (5pm); Aston Villa v Chelsea (7:30pm); Brighton v Brentford (10pm). — AFP.
Monday: Newcastle v Manchester United (10pm).
Online Reporter