Mikel Arteta has expressed his sense of inspiration in anticipation of Arsenal upcoming clash with Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, marking it the Gunners’ first visit to the venue since 1991.
Despite the short distance of just 16 miles from Arsenal’s training ground to the Hatters’ home, this journey has been untouched for nearly 32 years. Notably, none of the players who started in Saturday’s victory against Wolves were even born when Mick Harford secured the winning goal for Luton Town in o the last encounter.
Nevertheless, the manager embraces the excitement of competing at a new venue, albeit one that exudes a distinctive traditional charm. This fixture holds the potential to propel Arsenal to a sixth consecutive victory, positioning them five points clear at the summit of the Premier League.
Arteta explains what he is expecting against Luton Town
Assessing what it’ll be like to play at The Kenny, Mikel said: “I would say it is an inspiring place. I think what [Luton] have done is remarkable with what Rob did with the team last year, the way they did it and what they transmitted as a team.”
“To play there is going to be something different, and we’ve already discussed that with the players, but it’s really positive too. That’s the tradition of English football, our league – they haven’t been in the league for a long, long time and I think Arsenal hasn’t played them against them for a long, long time, so it’s a good evening.”
“We have already warned the players, they know what to expect. They know about the atmosphere. They know everything, and especially they have to know about the team that they have to face tomorrow and the difficulties we are going to have playing against them, as well the opportunities for us to win the game.”
Since the last encounter between both sides in 1991, Luton experienced a descent into non-league football for a span of five seasons. However, they demonstrated resilience by gradually climbing back up the ranks and ultimately securing a return to the top-flight. This achievement was sealed with their Championship play-off final victory over Sheffield Wednesday in May.
Mikel Arteta finds inspiration in Luton’s narrative of overcoming challenges, as it symbolizes hope for all clubs within the English football pyramid.
“It’s incredible the way Luton have done it, the frustrations they had it’s an example to any club in the Premier League,” Mikel added. “It gives hope as well that any club is able to do something extraordinary like this. It’s a beautiful story.”
“They fully deserve all the credit they are getting, from last year as well as the way they are playing this season. Some of the results that they have got and in the games that they’ve played, they’ve been extremely close.”
“I think they are a really good team and probably the table does not reflect what they have done in many games -the way they have lost games or drawn games as well in five minutes during the final stages of games. As I say, it probably doesn’t reflect that, but it’s a difficult game, that’s for sure.”
