Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted ahead of his side's Premier League clash against West Ham United that he tries to avoid the dressing room as much as possible
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that he tries to avoid his side's dressing room as much as possible.
The north Londoners currently lead the Premier League, sitting three points clear of Manchester City in second with just eight games to go. A huge part of the reason the Gunners are where they are is because of the togetherness of the squad, something that Arteta has consistently highlighted over the last few months.
However, the Spaniard has also admitted that he tries to stay away from the dressing room to give the players their own space as much as possible. When asked about how the banter is different when you are the manager compared to as a player, he told Sky Sports : "I think you have to be close enough but as well the banter, probably is different when you are in that room and when you are not, you know?
"They need the space, I never get around the dressing room, I try not to because that is their space, that is where they have to be familiar with each other and be themselves and enjoy.
"It is a big part of what we do, they need to enjoy and to enjoy you need to laugh, you have to have moments, you have to have some banter, you have to take the (expletive) out of each other and that's it and we've got a bit of that, to be fair."
Arsenal take on West Ham United this afternoon at the London Stadium hoping to get back to winning ways following their 2-2 draw against Liverpool last weekend.
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