Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hit back at criticism for his exuberant celebrations during Arsenal's Premier League win over Liverpool.
After Leandro Trossard scored to make it 3-1 for Arsenal late in the match at the Emirates Stadium, in Round 23 last weekend, Arteta ran along the touchline, celebrating with the home crowd. After the match, captain Martin Odegaard jokingly borrowed Stuart Macfarlane's camera to take a picture of Arsenal's own photographer - something usually only seen when teams celebrate winning the title.
On television, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher expressed his displeasure at Arteta's team's display of emotion, telling them to "go down the tunnel". Former Man Utd captain Gary Neville said that being overly happy showed "a bit of immaturity".
However, Arteta, who worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant on his journey to winning two Premier League titles at Man City, insisted he had never seen the joy of victory affect the title race. "My experience says no, but maybe someone else will have the opposite opinion. I don't see any influence on such joy," he said on February 9 at a press conference ahead of the match against West Ham in the 24th round of the Premier League.
Coach Arteta was excited after Trossard sealed a 3-1 victory for Arsenal against Liverpool at Emirates Stadium in round 23 of the Premier League on February 4. Photo: Premier League
Arteta was unaware of the criticism and said many other managers were also excited about winning in the Premier League, such as kneeling on the pitch, running along the touchline or even running onto the pitch to celebrate with the players.
"I personally like it because it brings passion and emotion to football when it is done in a natural and unique way," Arteta continued. "What I have heard in the last five days has been positive. Do you want to hear the negative part or the very positive part? If you focus on the criticism, you only see that, depending on your perspective. Every time I walk out on the street, I feel proud with the praise for what the team has done."
On Odegaard taking a photo of the team photographer, the Spaniard said: "It happens because of the good relationship, they do it every day at the training ground. When you do something publicly, there will be mixed opinions. Some of them are positive, some of them are not so positive. We have to accept it all and still behave according to what you think is right."
When he plays away to West Ham, Arteta will face his former coach David Moyes. Arteta played more than 200 games under the Scot in six years at Everton. It was Moyes who signed Arteta from Sociedad in January 2005, when he was just 22 years old. The pair enjoyed immediate success, leading Everton to a top four finish in the 2004-05 Premier League.
Arteta praised Moyes for his experience, his ability to manage a team and get the best out of his players. "Moyes is competitive, knows when you have an advantage and waits for moments in the game to punish you," the 41-year-old added. "What he did at West Ham was incredible."
Arteta said Bukayo Saka - the midfielder who limped off late in the win over Liverpool - is available, while Gabriel Jesus (knee), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf) and Thomas Partey (thigh) are doubtful.
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