Emile Smith Rowe opened up about one thing that Mikel Arteta told his Arsenal squad which struck a chord with him.
Emile Smith Rowe recently reminded everyone of his quality.
The Hale End academy graduate made a long-awaited return to the starting XI as Arsenal took on Luton Town at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Arteta used this game against the Hatters to rest and rotate some of his key players. Bukayo Saka was afforded a much-needed break as he has struggled to reach full fitness in recent weeks. Declan Rice was also benched to hand a rare start to Thomas Partey at the base of the midfield trio.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, and Reiss Nelson (making his first Premier League start of the season), all also came into the team.
Mikel Arteta throws down gauntlet to Arsenal outsiders
Ahead of this match, Arteta had issued a challenge to those on the outskirts of his first-team squad, telling them to be ready to make an impact when called upon. As quoted by the club’s official website, the Spanish coach said, “it’s our obligation and duty to be prepared to play any minute, in any moment…Sometimes you just need a second to change the history of a football club.”
Smith Rowe, in particular, seemed to respond to this throwing down of the gauntlet. The 23-year-old produced an eye-catching display against Luton Town. Whilst the midfielder was not able to get on the scoresheet himself, he played a key role in both of the Gunners’ goals and impressed with his work rate and defensive diligence.
Arteta liked what he saw from Smith Rowe. The three-cap England international may now be in line to feature more prominently over the course of the run-in, and he will be hoping to make an important contribution as the North London club seek to secure a Premier League title triumph.
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Emile Smith Rowe credits Mikel Arteta with inspiring his performance v Luton
Arsenal fans were also impressed by what they saw from Smith Rowe against Luton Town. After the match, the player credited the manager’s words for encouraging his performance.
Speaking to the official Arsenal website, Smith Rowe was asked if Arteta’s challenge has spurred him on. He said, “it inspires me a lot and I’m sure the other players. It’s been a really tough season for me and some of the other players haven’t played as much as we’d have liked to. It’s important that we came in tonight and put in a performance and show the manager that we can be a part of this team.”
Journalist Fabrizio Romano believes that Smith Rowe’s long-term future at Arsenal may well depend on how big an impact he is able to have in the final weeks of this season, so he has everything to play for and has made a strong start in his mission to prove that he deserves to be at the Emirates Stadium.