Mikel Arteta defends Raheem Sterling after his poor performance in Arsenal’s win over Leicester

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Mikel Arteta defended Raheem Sterling following Arsenal’s hard-fought 2-0 win over Leicester, stating the team’s performance made it ‘very difficult’ for the revamped attack to shine.

Arsenal secured a 2-0 victory against Leicester City, but it wasn’t without its challenges. Raheem Sterling, who has been struggling to find his form since joining Arsenal on loan from Chelsea, had a particularly poor performance. Despite this, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta came to Sterling’s defense, attributing the team’s overall performance as a factor in Sterling’s struggles.

The match, which took place at the King Power Stadium, saw Arsenal start with a frontline of Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard, and Sterling due to a season-ending injury to Kai Havertz. The Gunners initially struggled to break down Leicester’s defense and appeared headed for a disappointing stalemate. Sterling, who was brought off in the 69th minute for Mikel Merino, had an especially difficult game.

Merino, who was set up by Nwaneri for his first goal and later combined with Trossard to double the lead, made a significant impact after coming on. The result moved Arsenal within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Arteta acknowledged the team’s poor performance in the first half, particularly in the opening 20 to 25 minutes, where they struggled to gain momentum and made several mistakes. He emphasized that it was difficult for the front players, including Sterling, to perform well under such circumstances.

When asked about Sterling’s performance, Arteta stated that the whole team needed to step up their game and that Sterling, like everyone else, needed more time to build confidence. He also mentioned that the substitutions, including Merino’s impactful performance, were crucial to the win.

Despite the victory, questions remain about Sterling’s future role in the team, especially with Merino’s impressive showing. Arteta, however, did not give any hints about his plans for the upcoming matches