“I don’t forget” – Antonio Conte aims dig at Arteta over Arsenal fixture claim
Earlier this week, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sarcastically 'thanked' the Premier League for the fixture schedule that his side has been given.
He labeled his side's turnaround as 'unfair' after the Gunners hosted Liverpool on Wednesday evening and now have to make the trip up to the Midlands to face Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
However, speaking on Friday, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte did not take kindly to the comments. He reminded the Spaniard about the north London derby fixture cancelation in January, when Arsenal took advantage of a lenient FA rule to skip several games during the winter transfer window.
The Gunners had players missing due to injuries, international commitments, player sales and Covid-19 (one player). They promptly took advantage of the FA rule that teams will be allowed to postpone games if they cannot field 13 outfield players. The problem with Arsenal's request here was that FA introduced the rule in good sporting spirit to tackle the Covid-19 absentees and Arsenal had only case of Coronavirus in their camp.
OFFICIAL: Tottenham vs. Arsenal on Sunday has been postponed due to Arsenal having fewer than the required number of players available for the match. https://t.co/JutJrKGkZJ
Reminding Arteta about the January situation, Conte said:
"I only want to remember [remind] Arteta the game that we postponed - Tottenham v Arsenal, okay? Yes, if we speak about fair or unfair, okay, and, I stop. In general I think my answer is enough."
He added:
"Okay? It is enough. If someone wants to speak about fair or unfair. We postponed a game Tottenham v Arsenal, if you remember. I don't forget this and I think it is not right to speak about fair or unfair."
The passive aggressive comments made by the Italian are sure to spice up an already heated London derby.
Mikel Arteta is concerned about when the rescheduled games will be played.
"Yes (I am concerned). Because I don't know and we're not going to be deciding and it is going to be very important."
Arsenal fans are in good spirit at the moment
The Gunners are far from being the famous 'Invincibles' side everyone feared back in 2004, but Arteta's men have started to gain traction to get to the top four.
Questions were asked about Arteta when he first arrived at the club, but he has since proved his worth at The Emirates Stadium.
Jamie Carragher
What l am seeing from Arsenal, and the slight tweak in midfield, is very impressive.
Arsenal's midfield is reminiscent of a Pep Guardiola team, who has obviously got a huge influence on Mikel Arteta. https://t.co/aUWmRwMvdA
Sitting pretty in fourth place at the moment, with 51 points to their name and two games in hand over fifth-place Manchester United, Arsenal are favorites to finish fourth this season.
The gelling of a young team has put a smile on fans' faces so far this season.