After sports media reports linked Mikel Arteta to the position of Barcelona coach, the Arsenal technician reacted by clarifying the situation. The Spaniard said he feels very happy at Arsenal, and appears to have no intention of leaving the Emirates, at least in the near future. Arteta commented briefly:
"They (Barcelona) have a phenomenal coach who is an absolute legend of the club..."
In this way, the Arsenal technician has shown his respect for coach Xavi, hinting that the Catalans are currently in safe hands. Arteta himself has excelled this season in charge of Arsenal, as the team leads the Premier League after 12 weeks of the championship.
Meanwhile, the Londoners have successfully secured first or second place in Group A of the Europa League. However, the team still hasn't secured the first place, as it has collected 12 points, 2 more than PSV Eindhoven who is ranked second.
Barcelona, Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting Lisbon are some of the "big" teams that will compete with each other in the next round of the Europa League. This means we could see a potential showdown between Arsenal and Xavi Hernandez's side. "The Gunners" will face Zurich the next day, while on Sunday a very important challenge awaits them against Chelsea in the Premier League.
Despite this, coach Arteta has said that he will play with a very competitive team against Zurich, since he will not risk the first place in the group. Striker Bukayo Saka could be part of the starting line-up again, after the news that the injury sustained in the challenge against Nottingham Forest was not serious. Saka is also expected to be one of the main figures of the English national team at the World Cup in Qatar.
