Arsenal fans to protest against owner before the Everton match on Friday

It seems that Arsenal is the slowest clubs of all 12 who tried to form the Super League last Sunday. The Gunners apologized to the fans two days after the formation of the league, the owner Stan Kroenke has apologized to the coach and the players a few days after that and the fans are protesting against the owner seven days after the decision. Fans announced plans on social media to hold a protest against Kroenke’s ownership on Friday outside the Emirates stadium, during which they will urge him to sell the club. Several supporters’ groups tweeted the hashtag “#KroenkeOut”, and club legend Ian Wright joined the cause on Tuesday night.

But the coach Mikel Arteta is worried that the current situation will be a distraction to his players ahead of a Premier League game with the Toffies. The Spaniard said he had spoken to Kroenke, while chief executive Vinai Venkatesham had addressed the players.

„It was a big shock for all of us to go through. The owners have the maximum responsibility to run the football club and what they said was: 'apologies for disturbing the team, we did it without the capacity to communicate in a different way earlier and pass on my message to the players' - that is all you can ask for. I think this has given big lessons and it shows the importance of football in the world. And it shows that the soul of this sport belongs to the fans - and that's it. The fans have to express – it’s their right and they have to do it freely. It’s time to leave them space to express themselves and now somehow we have to get them closer to us, believing in what we do“ said Arteta, who will be without his best stikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. For the Everton game. On-loan Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard is a doubt with an ankle injury while defenders David Luiz and Kieran Tierney (both knee) remain sidelined.

On the other side, Everton boss received good news ahead of the important game with Arsenal: his best scorer (14 goals) is back from injury. Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be available, along with central defender Mina, Fabian Delph and winger Bernard, but it’s unknown will they all start and who is actually fit for 90 minutes of football. However, Ancelotti will still be without Abdoulaye Doucoure (ankle) and Jean-Philippe Gbamin (knee) for this match.

The Italian is expecting that his player’s mindset for the rest of the season will be „let’s win this“, and hopes for five wins out of seven.

„I said five wins but I don’t know, there are a lot of strange results. Maybe you need four wins and maybe some draws, I don’t know. We have to be calm, we just to play and to try to win tomorrow, to try to win against Aston Villa, to try to win against West Ham and play every game like a final. Full stop. We don’t have to say, “Ah, maybe a draw”, no… try to win“ said Ancelotti.