Mikel Arteta says he is expecting a reaction from Arsenal ahead of a ‘really important’ week for the North London side.
Arsenal face Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash this evening, before a huge North London derby against top-four rivals Tottenham this weekend.
The Gunners head into those fixtures on the back of a disappointing FA Cup exit last weekend, producing a disappointing performance to lose 1-0 at Championship side Nottingham Forest.
That defeat was Arsenal’s second successive loss after a contentious defeat to Manchester City and Arteta says he is expecting to see a reaction from his squad ahead of a crucial week in their season.
“It’s really important because we are playing in two different competitions that we are really engaged with and we have a lot of enthusiasm for,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference.
“One because you can reach a final and are closer to a trophy and the other because we are going to play a big London derby against a team that is in the hunt for the same objectives as we have.
“I don’t have to ask for a reaction (after Forest) because I know how they felt about it. It’s clear. There’s nothing we can argue about.
“I tried to make it clear so that nobody gets confused about the standards that are required to play at this level against any opponent. Because this competition we have a big history about it. Now it’s time to move on.”
