Mikel Arteta Has Found The Future Of Arsenal – Ferdinand & Keown

Mikel Arteta has been plauded for finding “the future” of Arsenal after the team fought back to draw 2-2 against Chelsea.

The Gunners went a man down through David Luiz’s sending off but still managed to collect a point at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Hector Bellerin helped Arsenal grab a precious point in their aim for a top four finish this season.

“You’re watching that team tonight, and you’re seeing the future out there,” Keown said. “Martinelli – his goal. The passion, the spirit. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

He added: “Martinelli that is some performance tonight, [Buyako] Saka, and even [Granit] Xhaka when he goes to central defence, that’s as good as I’ve seen him play. They showed real character. For most of that game they were down to 10 men.”

“I think Arteta shouted and called for a shift in mentality,” Ferdinand said. “We’ve spoke about it before, they’ve been renowned for having a group of people with fragile mentalities.

“This could be a turning point, the way they’ve come back in terms of going a goal down, down to 10 men, being in disarray for a while, gaining composure, and chewing out a result like this.

“The way they done it, that demands character, that demands spirit, that demands a mentality, and then added to that quality in vital moments. They’ve showed that in abundance today.”