The Sun Newspaper

ROBERT PIRES has a smile as wide as the Seine again when he is talking about Arsenal.
That is because the Gunners’ Invincible is convinced Mikel Arteta and his young superstars are about to bring the good times back to the Emirates.

Manager Mikel Arteta gives new loanee Martin Odegaard instructions ahead of Arsenal’s home game with Man Utd on SaturdayCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Emile Smith Rowe, Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka should be part of a successful future for the Gunners, according to Robert PiresCredit: Getty Images – Getty

And Pires is so optimistic about the future, he believes boss Arteta could lead them to a Champions League spot THIS season.
The Frenchman unleashed that famous smile, so recognisable to Gunners fans, when asked why he has such great belief in Arteta and starlets Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, who face Manchester United on Saturday.
He said: “Mikel is young and needs time to implement his ideas but I believe that once he has built his team, Arsenal will be competitive and ready to go toe-to-toe with the great English clubs.
“It’s hard but I would not even rule out that they finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League this year because things change quickly in the league.

“If I see Liverpool having tough periods, I’m telling myself there is an opportunity for Arsenal to grab.
“They only need to get back to winning ways and then maintain the consistency. Then anything can happen.
“It’s imperative the supporters stay patient because Arsenal are in transition but the club’s future under Arteta looks bright.”

Pires, part of the team that went unbeaten in 2004 and won the Premier League twice, believes Arteta’s top-level playing experience and his understanding of the club’s philosophy stands him in good stead.

The 47-year-old former midfielder, who is still a club ambassador, added: “I believe that Arteta is the right manager to rebuild the team.
“I’m optimistic for the club’s future because I see many quality players, not least the young players that have come through lately.
“Besides, Arteta played at a high level with Arsenal and was also Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man City. The fact he played for the club means he knows the way Arsenal are supposed to play.”
Arteta’s Arsenal won the FA Cup last season but have struggled this campaign, sitting ninth in the Prem and out of both domestic cup competitions.
Pires heaped praise on Arteta’s ability to get the best out of academy graduates such as Smith Rowe and Saka.
And he is convinced the pair will be the driving force behind Arsenal’s resurgence.

French winger Robert Pires was one of the Arsenal invincibles of 2003-04Credit: PA:Empics Sport

They showed promise last season but Saka and Smith Rowe have come of age this term and Pires has urged the Gunners’ hierarchy to tie them down to long-term contracts to ward off inevitable interest.
Pires said: “I want to see Arsenal win the league because that was always the club’s priority.
“Now, it’s little by little. The club needs to have a proper structure in place, a blend of young and experienced players.
“Players with experience are important to keep the balance in the team and help the young ones fulfil their potential.
“I like the youthful exuberance and freshness of the academy players coming through. The number of homegrown players ruffling feathers in the first team is really positive.
“Smith Rowe and Saka can make a big impact and the club must, at all costs, offer them long-term contracts.
“Emile and Bukayo came through the youth academy, have shown they have the quality to hold their own and they love Arsenal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette are the bosses in the team and they know how to go about things with young players.
Robert Pires

“Their love for the shirt is important and the board must do whatever it takes to keep hold of them.
“They are Arsenal’s future but there are going to be difficulties. That’s why adding experienced players is of paramount importance.”
Asked if new big contracts could lead to a loss of hunger, Pires replied: “Definitely, it’s dangerous for young players but if a big-money offer is on the table it means the club has faith in them.”
He added: “Once they sign the deals, it’s down to the experienced players to guide these players.
“The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette are the bosses in the team and I’m sure they know how to go about things with young players.”
Pires, who made 284 Arsenal appearances and scored 85 goals under former boss Arsene Wenger, sees similarities between the Frenchman and Arteta, not least in the way they play on the front foot.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

He added: “The one thing that unites Arteta and Wenger is they both set up to attack, to dominate.
“We expect this club to play beautiful football and entertain the fans. I don’t think Arteta will copy Wenger or Guardiola as he has his own ideas but the principles remain similar.
“Arteta has a precise style in mind that he wants to set in stone — playing beautifully and more importantly, winning.”
⚽ Read our Arsenal live blog for the latest news from The Emirates

Martin Odegaard joins Arsenal in loan transfer as Mikel Arteta lands Real Madrid whizkid More

DEAN SMITH sees Jack Grealish’s captaincy style as being straight out of the John Terry book.
The Aston Villa boss says Grealish is not afraid to fight his corner — as he showed at Burnley on Wednesday night.

Jack Grealish stood toe-to-toe with Burnley assistant Ian Woan on Wednesday nightCredit: Mark Robinson – The Sun

The Villa captain was confronted by the Burnley assistant bossCredit: Mark Robinson – The Sun

And he knows that is one of the things that made Villa coach Terry a success with the armband at Chelsea.
Grealish was involved in a row with Clarets assistant Ian Woan at the end of Villa’s 3-2 defeat at Turf Moor.
Smith tried to calm down his star but insists he admires that sort of commitment to the captain’s role.
The Villa boss said: “Jack took umbrage to comments made by their first-team staff from the bench — and told them.

“I don’t see that as over-commitment, I see that as him backing himself. I’m quite pleased he’s got the strength of character to do that. It’s great.
“When you look at the top captains who have been out there, we’ve got one of the most successful captains in the Premier League working on our coaching staff.
“He would have done exactly the same. Jack looks at all the captains but who better to take inspiration from than JT because of his success?”
As well as being a key Villa player, Grealish — who put Villa 2-1 in front midway through the second half at Burnley —   has thrown himself into the role of being skipper.

FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

The England midfielder, 25, looked crestfallen when he was subbed near the end of his side’s 2-0 win over Newcastle last Saturday.
Smith said:  “I don’t think you can be too over-committed to a captain’s role.
“I saw a disappointed lad come off the pitch against Newcastle — he wants to play in every minute of every game.
“In this game we have at the moment, there’s probably not enough players who want to play every minute. He’s one of the exceptions and it’s great to see.”
Smith takes his side to Southampton tonight, with new signing Morgan Sanson in the squad.
The French midfielder, 26, joined Villa in a £15.75million deal from Marseille.

Morgan Sanson arrived at Villa from Marseille this weekCredit: PA:Press Association
Smith added: ‘I’ve only worked with him for 45 minutes on Thursday.
“He’s settled in really well. I hope his adaptation will be quick and he’ll  certainly travel down to Southampton with the squad.
“He’s got a big-game mentality and has played at the top of the French league for the last five years — and in the Champions League. He is a great technician with great tactical awareness.
“He can play in a number of positions, can set up goals and can score goals. He has a bit of everything in his game, so we’re really pleased with the acquisition.”
Smith says Villa cannot afford to let games slip as they did at Burnley.
He said: “I want to entertain and win  but prefer to win more than anything.
“We’ve played a team twice and had 45 shots against them and only picked up one point. I was very disappointed about that.”

Several success stories have come from January transfers

Gabriel Agbonlahor says that teams are scared of Jack Grealish and Aston Villa More

THIS season Pep Guardiola has had to adapt more than ever.
Losing David Silva in the summer and then Sergio Aguero to injury forced him to tactically tweak his Manchester City side to suit the players he has available.

With seven league goals this season, Ilkay Gundogan is City’s top scorerCredit: EPA

And the main benefactor is Ilkay Gundogan.
Since their 5-2 defeat to Leicester at the start of the season, City have only conceded seven goals in 17 Prem games.
Pep’s first task was to tighten things at the back and after building a base upon the partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias their attacking return has improved.
Against Palace, Villa and West Brom they have scored 11 goals without a centre-forward on the pitch.

With seven league goals this season, Gundogan is City’s top scorer but previously he has never notched over six — even when at Dortmund.
And it is all down to the false-nine formation Guardiola has adopted.
Recently, the likes of Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne — before his injury — would be given a license to roam into the traditional No 9 slot.
And because teams concentrate solely on their main attacking threats, Gundogan falls under the radar.

FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

DREAM TEAM SELECTOR

Could you pick your way to £10,000+?
Sign up now for Dream team Selector and start 2021 with a bang!
Choose a winning team each week and you advance to the next round but be careful – you can only pick each team once!
And now you can play in a mini-league with your mates
Click HERE to play Dream Team Selector – 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org

As a former defender myself, I know you are a lot more comfortable when you have an individual to hold and follow — but with City’s interchangeable makeshift centre-forwards it is impossible.
The constant movement of the front four forces defenders to move out of position to stick with them, allowing a passage in the middle of the pitch for Gundogan.
But with 13 different scorers, the fact everyone is now among the goals is down to Guardiola’s genius.
And anyone who manages to finish above them will be lifting the trophy at the end of the season.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola says that Sergio Aguero is still absent after coronavirus battle More

SO football used to be Men Behaving Badly but now, apparently, it’s as gentrified as Downton Abbey.
Well, that’s what boffins in Austria have told us with research at the University of Salzburg claiming footballers, coaches and managers are now far more polite due to the absence of fans.

Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic bucked the trend when they were involved in a furious bust-up this weekCredit: Getty

Karren Brady writes exclusively for SunSportCredit: Getty

They reckon the lack of supporters due to Covid restrictions has led to fewer altercations on the pitch and less emotional behaviour.
The research, centred around Austrian outfit FC Red Bull Salzburg, claims there have been nearly 20 per cent fewer emotional situations in ‘ghost games’ — those without fans.
The eggheads said there were fewer fouls, less abuse of refs and less verbal jousting between opposing players — all because supporters have been side-lined since the pandemic kicked in last year.
Ex-players raised on pitches that resembled ploughed fields and with referees who turned a blind eye to anything other than multiple homicides, often say the game has gone soft, but this Austrian research seems to be taking the Wiener Schnitzel.

All this is fascinating as clubs continue to play behind closed doors due to the continued threat of infection.
The research also concluded that there was significantly less ‘angry verbal interaction’ which, to you and me without a doctorate in psychology, means swearing at each other. And the referee, of course, who invariably gets it in the neck.
Again, not so sure about that.
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith did a pretty good impersonation of an angry man after his side conceded a controversial goal at Manchester City recently.

 BEST BETS TODAY: GET THE TOP PRICES AND BOOSTS AVAILABLE

Smith was rightly peeved at the concept of City’s Rodri standing in a different time zone, then scuttling back from an offside position to rob centre-back Tyrone Mings of the ball, before Bernardo Silva scored.
Smith’s reaction was not what the Austrian nerds had in mind as he swore like a trooper, then got his marching orders.
Certainly, there was no love lost this week in the Milan derby as Romelu Lukaku told his former team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic “F*** you and your wife”.
Mind you, Ibrahimovic had advised the Belgian to “Go do your voodoo sh**”, so it’s fair to say they won’t be sending each other Christmas cards.
Football and foul language has, rightly or wrongly — OK, wrongly — been part and parcel of the game since Old Etonians were knocking lumps out of Corinthians in the 19th century.
So, has the lack of fans taken the edge off the game? Are players now cooler than a cucumber in Siberia? Would Roy Keane no longer be frothing at the mouth like a rabies victim?
I think the research may be right in part as playing up to the crowd surely happens in football, just as it does on stage in the West End. But having fans in grounds is everything, as they are the lifeblood of the game.
The atmosphere is cranked up and players, naturally, respond to that.
OK, so players could be behaving better, but the day when fans are allowed back into our stadiums will be a joyous one. No more piped-in crowd sounds and more red-blooded action.
If the game is going soft then Keane will climb over the TV commentary gantry and take a lump out of your legs. Footballers. You have been warned.

Several success stories have come from January transfers

West Ham vs Liverpool – Watch LIVE, channel info and kick-off time More