Arsenal goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez has revealed that manager, Mikel Arteta favours a no-nonsense approach which means that there is no room for complacency amongst players at the club.
Arteta has managed Arsenal since December 2019, following the sacking of Unai Emery the previous month. Arsenal have won seven of their last 13 Premier League fixtures to move up to seventh in the Premier League standings and Martinez believes a renaissance of sorts is on the cards at the Emirates.
Only Liverpool and Manchester City have picked up more points than Arteta’s men in 2020 and Martinez is crediting Arteta for the turnaround.
“You’re in or you’re out, you’re with him or without him, and there’s no discussion on that,” Martinez told Sky Sports.
“We know that if we want to play and we want to be at this football club, we have to be on board.
“That’s good for the team because no one can relax. If you relax, you don’t train properly or you don’t perform like he wants you to, you’re out.
“You have to follow him and that’s what we’re trying to do now,” he explained.
Martinez has been filling in for Bernd Leno between the sticks while the Arsenal number one recovers from a knee injury, and has recorded three clean sheets in his last four appearances.
The 27-year-old has endured plenty of frustration at the Emirates since graduating to the first team in 2012, but he is delighted that his hard work is starting to pay off under Arteta.
“It’s been up and down in my Arsenal career, to be honest,” Martinez added.
“There was something I had inside me that said, ‘Why am I not getting my chance in the club that I love?’
“But God always puts you in the right place at the right time. I’ve worked really hard over the years and been really patient and now I’m getting the rewards.
“I heard the manager say recently that I’ve been really respectful over the years and I think that’s true. I’m a team player, so even if the manager decides to play another guy, I accept it.
“But I never let my head go down, I always keep going, and now that I have the opportunity, I’m grabbing it with both hands. Hopefully, when all the goalkeepers are back in training, the manager will have a decision to make. My aim is to make it a hard decision,” he concluded.
