Recently I had the pleasure of a brief audience with Arsenal’s
Mikel Arteta, and the midfielder called upon his Arsenal team mates to “do it
for the fans” Football Manager style when asked if finishing above Tottenham
for a Champions League place would be extra pleasurable if it came at the
expense of Spurs.
Speaking of the race for fourth, the combative Arsenal man
said: “It's going to be tough but it's interesting as well, it's something to
play for and we're looking forward to it.”
Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to trump Spurs to reward their supporters' patience
So far so bland, but like many a Gunner, what really appeared
to get Mikel’s juices going was the now yearly duel between his Arsenal side
and their greatest rivals, Spurs for the final Champions League spot.
Both sides could of course snatch spots in the competition at
the expense of Chelsea, but when asked if beating Tottenham to the final spot would
be something he’d relish, the Spanish midfielder looked upon edging out Andre
Villas-Boas side as a late season present for Arsenal’s long suffering support,
now eight years and counting without seeing silverware.
