Mikel Arteta adressing the Arsenal team during a training session (Image: GETTY)
Arsenal players have been involved in heated talks after Mikel Arteta called players together in a bid to arrest the club’s slide down the Premier League table. The clear-the-air meeting saw players exchange angry words according to reports.
Gunners boss Arteta gathered players at the club’s London colney training centre for what ESPN describes as a “frank exchange of views”.
After Arteta and his coaching staff left, the players had an impromptu discussion among themselves.
The report claims the meeting involved ‘finger pointing’ and was both ‘stormy’ and ‘intense’.
The conversation was also described as ‘angry’ with raised voices but ended amicably with players determined to turn around their poor form so far this season.
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The Gunners did lift the FA Cup after impressive victories over Manchester City and Chelsea in the semi-final and final respectively.
This season however, the club has struggled and suffered their third home defeat in a row, going down 2-1 to Wolves in their last outing.
It was this result that prompted Arteta to assemble his squad on Tuesday to get to the bottom of their dismal run.
The players responded to the talks with a resounding 4-1 victory in the Europa League over Rapid Vienna to maintain their perfect record in that competition this season.
Arsenal have has their worst start for nearly 40 years (Image: EXPRESS)
Next up for Arsenal is a daunting trip to North London rivals Tottenham who, in contrast to the Gunners, are unbeaten in the Premier League since the opening day.
A five-match winning run for Spurs was halted by a 0-0 draw with Chelsea but Jose Mourinho’s men currently sit on top of the table, eight points clear of their neighbours.
Despite going into the game as underdogs, Arteta remains bullish about his side’s chances of coming away with a result
"I think it's the perfect game to get a lift, regenerate some belief in the league because in the other competitions we have been really good but we need a big result," Arteta told Sky Sports ahead of the game.