We'll end trophy drought, says Mikel Arteta

11 April 2012

Mikel Arteta today claimed he can handle the pressure of becoming Arsenal's playmaker and believes he has seen enough in his short time at the club to suggest they can end their long wait for a trophy this season.

The Gunners were denied victory in their Champions League Group F opener against Borussia Dortmund last night by substitute Ivan Perisic's 88th-minute equaliser after Robin van Persie had secured a first-half lead.

Although Arteta has been with his new team-mates for only a fortnight following his £10million deadline-day move from Everton, the 29-year-old insists he is ready to play an instrumental role to help the club put a difficult summer behind them and win their first silverware since 2005.

He said: "With a club like Arsenal, you are going to be under pressure and you need to handle it and try your best. At every club I have been at, I have had pressure and this is not going to be any different.

"But being under pressure is good as it means people expect something from you. I think we have got the players here to make us good and play good football.

"We weren't that good with the ball last night because Dortmund were very good putting pressure on us but we will be fine.

"We need to settle as quickly as possible and I try to help the team in the areas I am able to. We have five or six new players coming in and they are going to be an important part of the team.

"We all need to be together and I think the spirit is really good, the manager is really positive about it and we know that we will be fine.

"Most of the new players came in at the last minute so it is not going to happen in the first minute but when you have got the quality, it makes things easier.

"The challenge here is to win trophies and at Everton I didn't have the chance to do that. Hopefully, we are going to have it here.

"The difference between winning trophies and not can sometimes be very small details. The important thing is to get there because, when you do, you have a chance. We have to make sure we are close."

Arteta revealed that former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas advised him on how to adjust to life at the club.

He said: "I talked to him the day after I signed the contract and he helped me on two or three things. He was really nice to me.

"He advised me on the areas to live, about the team-mates, about the club and how good they are, the people at the club. It was very good."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was forced to watch the match from the stands as he served the first game of a two-match UEFA touchline ban, thrusting his assistant Pat Rice into the limelight.

"Did I like it? Not really, no," said Rice. "It has never been one of my ambitions to be the manager of a football club.

"It is very strange. It is too stressful for me."

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