"If we had listened to certain people" - Cesc Fabregas hits out at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's critics

Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has slammed Gunners manager Mikel Arteta's critics for suggesting the latter should be fired from his role during his early days at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta, who was appointed as Arsenal's head coach in December 2019, has been a revelation for the north London outfit in the ongoing 2022-23 season. So far, he has guided his side to a staggering 14 wins out of 16 matches to help them sit atop the Premier League table.

Earlier, Arteta came under fire for helping the Gunners secure back-to-back eighth-place finishes in the Premier League. However, the ex-Manchester City assistant coach guided his side to a fifth-place finish last season before transforming them into title contenders this term.

Speaking to The Times, Fabregas hit out at Arteta's distractors for urging him to be sacked from the club's helm. He elaborated:

"If we had listened to certain people at a time when Arsenal finished eighth and not doing that well, then maybe Mikel wouldn't be there. But they gave him the time that was needed to develop his own style, his own players coming in, making his own thing."

Heaping praise on his compatriot, Fabregas continued:

"Mikel was my teammate and he helped me a lot when I was very young, he knows the game properly. They haven't won anything yet, but they are definitely going in the right way."

The Gunners extended their lead to seven points at the top of the Premier League standings with a 4-2 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (31 December). Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli netted for the visitors, while Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson bagged goals for Roberto De Zerbi's side.

Arsenal are next set to be in action against third-placed Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday (3 January).

Mikel Arteta plays down Arsenal's Premier League chances after Brighton win

Speaking at a post-match press conference, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta shared his thoughts on his team's performance. He said:

"We knew the result [of the Manchester City game], but the boost is we had to come here and win, and to do that we had to perform at the highest level. Tonight, we had to have a big performance against a really good Brighton side. [We have] a lot of things to improve, especially in defending moments."

Prior to Arsenal's win against Brighton, defending champions Manchester City dropped two crucial points at home to Everton.