Hector Bellerin insists Arsenal are playing with new hunger under Mikel Arteta that will ensure good season
Hector Bellerin says Arsenal have a new hunger under Mikel Arteta and is convinced they will have a good season, despite losing their first match of the campaign to Liverpool.
Arsenal were beaten 3-1 at Anfield on Monday as Alexandre Lacazette’s opening goal was cancelled out by strikes from Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson and debutant Diogo Jota.
The defeat was Arsenal’s first of the season in all competitions and they were outplayed by champions Liverpool for large parts of the game.
The Gunners did, however, dig deep and battle hard to try and save a point – and it was not until the 88th minute that Jota put the game to bed.
Bellerin believes that is part of Arsenal’s new hunger under Arteta and the defender thinks they’re set for a good first full season under the Spaniard.
“The dressing room is frustrated,” said Bellerin. “There is a hunger in this team that wasn’t there the last few years and we want to win every single game.
“We knew that coming here all the odds were against us, but the team believed that we could come here and get a result.
“For us to not get that is very frustrating, but we know we have another chance on Thursday to redeem ourselves [against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup].
“So we are not going to let this get to us. We have been working really well, we have been getting results that people didn’t even believe we could get and, building on from the end of last season, I think the team is working really hard.
“I think when you build a new identity, a new way of playing football, it's not something that happens overnight. It's something that takes a lot of time.
“Every game we understand each other more and I am very positive about what this season holds for us.”
Arsenal did not deviate from their game plan against Liverpool, continuing to play out from the back despite Jurgen Klopp’s side relentless pressing.
It paid dividends for their first goal which, while scored by Lacazette scuffing the ball, started by Arsenal playing out from defence.
“This is our game,” said Bellerin. “This is what we have been training since Mikel has been here, so just because a team is the best in Europe at doing that (pressing), doesn’t mean we change the way we play.
“We train this every single day, every single week, so we can master it and we can hurt teams by doing this. It doesn’t matter how good the other team is, we have an identity, we have a way of playing football, and that’s how we create our chances.
“If you look at the games we played against them in the past. Our goals come from playing out from the back. We should all be proud that we stick by what we know.
“Sometimes it is difficult. Not every game is going to be easy. I think we just need to keep working and getting better, because these are the games we need to be winning.”
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