Fabio Vieira has been clamoring for more playing time since moving to the Emirates last summer, and the Arsenal manager has admitted that he hasn’t given him enough since then.
Fabio Vieira, a former Porto midfielder, has had an outstanding start to the season, and Mikel Arteta has admitted that he has not given him enough of a chance at Arsenal.
Vieira had a challenging first season with the Gunners last season and was only occasionally used as a result.
When called upon, he had trouble making an impact, leading some to speculate that the Portugal under-21 international was too frail to handle the Premier League’s physicality.
To the Emirates supporters’ surprise, the 23-year-old has revealed a side of himself that they were not previously aware of.
Although he hasn’t exactly been listed first on the team sheet every week, Vieira’s strong performances off the bench against Fulham and Manchester United helped him earn a starting position for the 1-0 victory at Everton last Sunday.
Vieira put in another strong performance, much to the surprise of those who thought Everton’s midfield trio of Idrissa Gueye, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Andre Onana would neutralize his threat.
Had Gabriel Martinelli’s goal not been disallowed for offside in the buildup by a very close VAR call, he almost managed to record his third assist in as many games.
Arteta addressed Vieira’s recent form ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League match at home against PSV and acknowledged that since the midfielder moved to north London last summer, he has not given him enough playing time.
Arteta admitted, “That was my fault.”.
“I have repeatedly said that you are aware that I haven’t given him enough opportunities to play and that he hasn’t had enough room in the team, perhaps as a result of the competitions that we compete in, to take part more.
But his talent is something we see every day, and I was very pleased with his performance over the weekend.”.
The Arsenal manager continued by discussing the best ways to maintain a positive attitude among the current group of Arsenal stars.
Vieira may have taken his remarks as a hint about what lies ahead for him.
This season, Fabio Vieira has performed admirably for Arsenal.
Arteta continued, “They need to play and feel important if they want to be happy.
“The only way to do it is to make them feel valued and trusted, and I’ll try to do that by utilizing them to their fullest potential in order to get the best performance.”.
It is unclear whether Vieira will play more minutes against PSV on Wednesday, but Arteta may rotate his players heavily given the caliber of the upcoming league opposition.
After hosting the Dutch powerhouses, Arsenal will host bitter rivals Tottenham at the Emirates before trips to play Brentford in the FA Cup, Bournemouth in the league, and Lens in the Champions League.
This will be Arsenal’s first away day in the competition in six years.
Given that one of the players who appears to be ahead of him in the pecking order, Kai Havertz, is having such severe form issues, it is likely that Vieira will see plenty more action during that run and have a chance to ensure he becomes too difficult to ignore or leave on the bench.
Bring all the latest news at your doorsteps.
