EFL Cup: I want fighters, not victims, says Arsenal boss ahead of Manchester City clash

Underpressure Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the only way the struggling Gunners are going to turn their season around is if his players show they are fighters and not victimsThe Spaniard is favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be fired as the warm glow of FA Cup success last season has evaporated fastArsenal are 15th in the table and without a Premier League win since November 1 They have accrued just two points in the last seven games and are only four points above the relegation zoneThe only respite for Arteta has come in the cup competitions They are through to the knockout rounds of the Europa League and on Tuesday they face Manchester City mdashwhere he cut his coaching teeth as assistant to Pep Guardiolamdashin the League Cup quarterfinals ldquoYou have two types of people fighters and victimsrdquo said Arteta ldquoYou need fighters and you donrsquot want any victims Victims bring excuses victims bring negativity and they start to blame anything that is happening around them or is not going their way You need people who fight people who contribute and people who are ready to give everything to the club in this momentrdquoArteta said the quarterfinal against the holders provides a welcome distraction from their underwhelming league campaign ldquoThis is what we want to use it for a distraction as well as a competition we want to try to winrdquo said ArtetaAFPUnderpressure Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the only way the struggling Gunners are going to turn their season around is if his players show they are fighters and not victims The Spaniard is favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be fired as the warm glow of FA Cup success last season has evaporated fast Arsenal are 15th in the table and without a Premier League win since November 1 They have accrued just two points in the last seven games and are only four points above the relegation zone The only respite for Arteta who has been in the post for just over a year has come in the cup competitionsThey are through to the knockout rounds of the Europa League and on Tuesday they face Manchester City where he cut his coaching teeth as assistant to Pep Guardiola in the League Cup quarterfinals You have two types of people fighters and victims said Arteta You need fighters and you dont want any victims Victims bring excuses victims bring negativity and they start to blame anything that is happening around them or is not going their way You need people who fight people who contribute and people who are ready to give everything to the club in this momentOne step closerArteta says he ignores what is written about him and the club insisting that all that matters is the feeling within the club and there he claims it is a wholly supportive atmosphere Obviously a club of this stature deserves the best and when it is not happening everyone is going to question what is happening he said I am the most responsible one in terms of results so I have to accept that Arteta said the quarterfinal against the holders provides a welcome distraction from their underwhelming league campaignThis is what we want to use it for a distraction as well as a competition we want to try to win said Arteta We have two difficult opponents before in Leicester and Liverpool we managed to beat them both and now we are playing at home and we are one step closer to Wembley So it is a really nice game to play as this is the type of game we are looking for through the season However he admits winning the trophy would not be sufficient to counterbalance a poor Premier League campaign Its not enough isolating just one competition said Arteta We have a really nice opportunity because weve done really well in the competition this year and tomorrows game is another step forward to be closer to winning another trophy But this doesnt mean that its going to reflect on the rest or its going to look better because at the moment whatever happens in any other competition in the Premier League were nowhere near where we should be