Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has claimed that he loves Gabriel Jesus‘ mentality following his fantastic cameo against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League last night.
The Gunners were made to work hard by the Norwegian giants, but they still managed to win convincingly. Goals from Eddie Nketiah, Rob Holding and Fabio Vieira sealed the game for Arsenal, but it was Jesus’ outrageous bit of skill for the third goal that blew everyone away.
Mikel Arteta says he loves Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus’ mentality
Jesus started the game on the bench last night and after Arsenal went 2-0 up, many fans expected him to stay there ahead of the big game against Liverpool on Sunday.
However, Arteta decided to bring him on along with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka in the 58th minute.
The Brazilian played on the left flank while Nketiah was on the pitch, and he was full of energy. The highlight of his cameo, however, came in the 84th minute as he danced past three Bodo/Glimt players to assist Fabio Vieira.
Arteta was really impressed with Jesus, his pressing and his mentality. He said after the game, as quoted by Arsenal.com: “I love his mentality. It doesn’t matter how long he plays, when he plays, in which position, he always gives absolutely everything.
“You see his pressing when he goes on the pitch, it makes the team different. His energy as well. Obviously today he (made) an outstanding action, to create the third goal.
“He has won everything in the last five years, imagine what the rest have to do, so follow him, because he’s always in the right spot.”
Our View:
Arsenal are on top of the Premier League table at the moment and Jesus is arguably the biggest reason why.
The Brazilian, since his £45 million (Sky Sports) move from Manchester City back in July, has been truly sensational. He has scored five goals and provided four assists in just 10 appearances, which is a fantastic return.
It’s not just Jesus’ goal contributions that have made Arsenal brilliant, it’s his attitude, work rate and mentality. His presence in attack has given a huge lift to all the players around him, and they’re all performing incredibly well this term.
If Jesus can continue this form until the end of the campaign, Arsenal really can go on to achieve something special.