After William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes argued after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Leicester, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta echoed Roy Keane.
After William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhae’s fight at the end of Arsenal’s win over Leicester, Mikel Arteta said he doesn’t mind players fighting, days after Roy Keane praised Casemiro for fighting Bruno Fernandes.
The Gunners beat the Foxes 1-0 at the weekend to stay atop the Premier League, but Saliba and Gabriel’s post-match antics could overshadow Wednesday night’s crucial match against Everton.
Arsenal’s starting centre-backs pushed each other after the King Power Stadium win. Arteta says he’s fine with their disagreement and happy they want more from each other.
He said: “They enjoy playing together. That’s good. Fine.”
Arteta: “I want players with passion, feeling, and chemistry, and those two have that on and off the field. Even when winning, they encourage each other.”
After United’s Carabao Cup final win, Keane praised Casemiro for fighting Fernandes. Arteta’s verdict on Saliba and Gabriel’s fight comes days later.
After helping end United’s six-year trophy drought, Casemiro led the celebrations. He had a heated exchange with Fernandes after the Portuguese midfielder missed a golden opportunity to set up a third goal by going for glory himself in the final moments.
Keane said: “They fighting? Maybe. Nice. They care about whatever they’re fighting about.”
After being asked about Saliba and Gabriel’s spat, Arteta echoed similar sentiments, but he hopes any issues were resolved before Wednesday’s match against Everton.
Arsenal will want to avenge last month’s shock loss at Goodison Park and regain a five-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Arteta pregame: “We have to play better than we did a few weeks ago to win the game. We should play better tomorrow. Like any opponent. We showed them what they do and what we expect to do to beat them.
“Sean’s work and success are obvious. We’ll prepare like the away match tomorrow. Every manager is the same.
“We have to look at certain matches, what they do, and try to get the right tactics to beat them—and the same mentality and expectation of what we demand in the game.”