Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has praised the team spirit in Mikel Arteta’s squad, using the recent example of how the players have responded to struggling duo Aaron Ramsdale and Kai Havertz.
The Frenchman, who won the double with the Gunners back in 1997/98, is happy to see his former club looking more competitive again after a difficult period at the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign, with Arteta doing a superb job to turn this team into genuine title contenders again.
Speaking to Get French Football News, Petit spoke about a range of issues in this Arsenal squad, insisting he was not quite ready yet to compare them to the side he played in as they still need to win a trophy.
However, it’s clear Petit likes what he’s seeing at the Emirates Stadium these days, as he praised the way the players rallied around out-of-favour goalkeeper Ramsdale in a recent game when he would have been going through a difficult period after losing his place in the team.
Petit also praised the way they have supported the struggling Havertz, who hasn’t been entirely convincing since his summer move from Chelsea.
“I’m very proud of the Gunners today. And of all that is good about Arsenal and the club today, there is one thing in particular that I really like, that I admire a lot because it really speaks to me. It’s the friendship that exists between the players,” Petit said.
“There’s a real friendship that you can feel, that you can see on the pitch, you can see in their behaviour. The other day when Ramsdale played, at the end of the match all the players ran over to see him, to put their arms around him, to console him, because it must be very hard for him to be in his situation.
“The same thing with Kai Havertz when he scored his goal last weekend. You see it when a player has had a bad game – they’re immediately comforted by teammates.”