Despite last season’s double defeat to Villa, Arteta emphasised his focus on securing a win, not on settling any scores.
“I don’t take things personally. I just have the will to win and to prepare the team in the best possible manner regardless of who I play against,” said Arteta in his pre-match press conference.
“I always admire him [Unai Emery], as a coach and a person, what he’s doing with his teams. He had a difficult time when he was in his first experience here and he didn’t hesitate to take a different project and take it to a completely different level. That tells you everything about the courage of the person.”
But Arteta also acknowledged the pain of those losses, particularly the one at Villa Park where he was absent due to a suspension.
While he respects Emery’s achievements, Arteta is determined to set the record straight against a Villa side that has proved to be a tough opponent in recent years.
The Gunners will be looking to break their recent losing streak against Villa and continue their strong start to the season. “I didn’t enjoy it one bit,” Arteta said. “The moment I love the most during the week, you are building everything to get to that moment on the grass next to the players.
“You have to give credit to them or your opponents when they manage to beat you, whether you merit it or don’t.
“There are a lot of things that you can analyse and be very simplistic about because we lost. But there are those things in my opinion that are very relevant as well.”
