What Arsenal training staff told Hector Bellerin about Tottenham
Bellerin #Bellerin
Hector Bellerin has revealed what Arsenal training staff told him about Tottenham when he joined the club.
Bellerin faces the Gunners’ bitter rivals Spurs this afternoon in the first north London derby of the season.
The clash is famed for its intense affairs and crunching tackles with no love lost between the two sides over the years.
And Bellerin, who joined Arsenal’s academy as a 16-year-old from Barcelona, claims that it is drilled into you to hate Tottenham as soon as you join the Gunners.
“It was one of the first things the people at the training ground told me that I had to do – just hate Tottenham straight away!” he told the BBC.
“It doesn’t matter who you like, you just have to hate Tottenham.
“It’s something that is transmitted through other players – all the young players and those who come from another country.
“Players that come through the academy and that are English, they know all about it.
“It’s something that is transmitted through the fans, social media, watching Premier League games so you know how important the rivalry has always been.
“We haven’t been on the best of runs but I always feel these kind of games are the best way to turn that around.”
Bellerin also spoke about manager Mikel Arteta, insisting that he has done a stellar job so far, despite Arsenal sitting in the bottom half of the table.
“When Mikel came we knew a change was needed in terms of not just the way we play but the culture and identity,” Bellerin went on.
“On and off the pitch, that is something you don’t achieve in one day or one week. It is important to keep going because, even though results are not coming, we are doing so many things much better. I really, really believe the results will come.
“The way he [Arteta] turned it around after the lockdown, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield, showed the capacity he had as a manager.
“When you want to change the whole culture of the club for the better, that is something that takes time. But I truly believe we are on the right path; we are all fully on board.”