Arteta Praises Arsenal's Resilience in Nottingham Forest Victory, Highlights Madueke's Impact

Mikel Arteta commended his Arsenal players for their resilience and capacity to 'suffer' during their hard-fought victory over Nottingham Forest. The Gunners secured the win through a tactical approach that overcame Forest's defensive structure, described by Arteta as a "Christmas tree" setup.

Substitute Noni Madueke scored the decisive goal in the 80th minute, marking Arsenal's only shot on target in the match. This substitution, among four second-half changes, proved instrumental in altering the game's dynamic after Arsenal had dominated possession without penetrating Forest's compact defense.

Mikel Arteta praised his Arsenal stars for 'suffering' to break down Nottingham Forest's Christmas tree-style defence

The win extended Arsenal's strong start to the Premier League season, marking their sixth victory in seven games. They currently sit in second place, three points behind league leaders Manchester City.

Arteta noted the varied nature of Arsenal's wins this season, stating, "We've played 11 competitive matches and won 10. So we're going to get a variety of ways to win in many different contexts." He acknowledged that scoring early against Forest would be challenging due to their organized defense, which created little space for Arsenal's attackers. "There's no space to play. You have to be so neat and tidy. You have to otherwise generate a lot of chaos in the box, whether it's in open play or with set-pieces," Arteta explained.

He observed that the game demanded patience and a controlled approach, warning against excessive risks that could prove detrimental. "We didn't even hit the target, which is the difference. And the longer the game goes, we say, “OK, now we have to play a different game because the moment we start to ramp up our level of frustration, the game is going to be really dangerous for us because we're going to take more risks than we should," he said. Arteta expressed belief that as the game progressed and physical levels dropped, spaces would emerge, ultimately allowing his team to capitalize.

He hailed Noni Madueke for reaching 'another level' - but says he 'expects' such performances from the match-winning winger

Arteta specifically praised Noni Madueke's performance, describing him as a "special character" and a "special guy." He added, "He's in a good moment. I think after the break he's showing something else, another level of anger, another level of conviction as well in his actions and he's becoming decisive in matches, which is what we expect from a player like him."

Madueke echoed Arteta's sentiments, emphasizing the significant contribution of Arsenal's substitutes. "We had to dig deep, we know it's difficult to come here. Thank God we were able to get the win and we move on with three points," Madueke stated. "If you look at the quality of our starting XI and bench it's absurd so we know that we're going to start some and finish some and for me it's the same mentality every time. I just want to create or score." He expressed immense satisfaction with scoring but prioritized the team's victory: "Amazing feeling [to score] but I feel better about the win."