Mikel Arteta received the backing of former Gunner Emmanuel Frimpong recently as the 31-year-old sat down with betting company Midnite to discuss his first club. 

Plagued by injury, Frimpong only managed six league appearances for the North London side. Yet, coming through the Hale End academy, the club clearly holds a special place in the former Ghana international's heart.

Arsenal's biggest foe of late in the title fight has been the ever-present, machine-like Manchester City. The blue side of Manchester beat the red half of London last week 3-1 to put a lot of eyes on the reverse fixture at the Etihad. 

Frimpong believes that dropping Ben White for Takehiro Tomiyasu was key in Arsenal's downfall.

"Once Manchester City are top of the table, it's very tough to win that position back from them. Arsenal had enough chances to win the game but Manchester City took their chances really well.
 

“There's no surprise they're back at the top of the table, any Premier League fan would have said Manchester City were going to win the league from the start due to their quality of players."

"The last three or four games, Arsenal's standards have really dropped. It was a surprise to see Ben White dropped, he did look a bit tired but Takehiro Tomiyasu came in and made a mistake, it makes you think about whether White should have started in the first place.

“Arsenal can hold their heads high because no one gave them a chance at the start of the season, every game is very difficult, maybe they can win four or five games on the bounce now and regain their form."

Speaking further about the game against Pep's title contenders, Frimpong was sad but gracious in defeat. 

"3-1 was a deserved result for Manchester City, Arsenal gave away two needless goals with Takehiro Tomiyasu's back pass and Gabriel Magalhaes'  pass that got caught out and led them to score.

“The Arsenal players would have woken up thinking they'd given Manchester City the game, considering the Bukayo Saka penalty too. It's heartbreaking, they did play well in patches but Manchester City were too strong and powerful for them."

That said, the former midfielder has hope that the reverse fixture, 200 miles north, will be much better, with key names set to be back in the side. 

"It doesn't worry me that Arsenal only scored one goal in both games against Manchester City because Arsenal will have players back when we go to the Etihad. Thomas Partey was missed even though Jorginho performed really well.
 

“When Partey doesn't play, it's a big difference in how the team play, but let's not take anything away from Manchester City. They are a top team and much better than Arsenal in terms of player abilities and are much more experienced, it's just a shame Arsenal are no longer top of the table."

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"We Arsenal fans have had a great ride at the top, but we've still got a game in hand. It will be very difficult to reclaim that spot, especially as we have to go to the Etihad."

  • Fan opinion is "part of the game"

Arsenal's loss to City at the Emirates was undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow for many - however, Frimpong suggests that disgruntled fans shouldn't be taken too seriously.

"As players, you can't control the emotion of the crowd so you have to give it your all. Arsenal were making some dodgy decisions against Manchester City, especially when they were playing the ball out from the back.

“It's normal for the fans to moan at the mistakes that gave Manchester City the game, because we usually look very comfortable playing out from the back."

"Fans can have excitement, anxiety, start moaning and complaining, it's all part of the game. A few weeks ago, Manchester City were getting booed at half-time by their own fans, it's part of the game."

  • Favourite player at the club and a word on the boss

Frimpong, of course, played in midfield. Yet, when it comes to his favourite player, he's looking backwards.

"I really do like Ben White, he's a centre-back having to play at right back and has not made any fuss about it. White is very professional in the way he plays."

"He also dresses cool and looks nice, he just looks like a very cool guy, the sort of person you'd want to hang around with.

“White has been very good this season but he has looked very tired recently, which is understandable because of how much you have to run at right-back."

What Arsenal possess right now, is clearly a group with strong chemistry and ability. On top of that, their manager has to take a lot the praise.

“For Frimpong, a man who played briefly alongside Arteta, it makes sense that the fellow former midfielder switched to management well.

"One thing I remember of Mikel Arteta is he used to give me a lot of advice in the gym. I used to have really bad technique in the gym with things like weights, Arteta would come over and tell me 'don't lean back' and 'hold it like this'.

“That's the memory I have of Arteta, he was always wanting to give information out to the players, no matter who it was. Arteta was very vocal and hated to lose, it's no surprise to me that he's gone into management and done really well."

Credit to Midnite for the interview: https://www.midnite.com/rundown/emmanuel-frimpong-doubts-arsenal-title-chances

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