Mikel Arteta has urged Gabriel Jesus to remain ‘patient’ after the striker’s goal drought continued last night despite Arsenal sealing top spot in their Europa League group.
The summer signing from Manchester City made an electric start to his Gunners career but he hasn’t found the back of the net since the north London derby at the start of October.
Jesus captained Arsenal last night as Kieran Tierney’s goal ensured a 1-0 over FC Zurich which means the Gunners avoid having to play an extra round in February against a Champions League dropout.
Despite turning in another excellent individual performance, Jesus’ has now gone eight games without a goal but Arteta is confident they will flow again as long as the 25-year-old remains calm.
Speaking after last night’s game, he said: ‘That’s going to change [his bad luck], he’s getting the situations, he’s getting the chances, he’s contributing to the team an awful lot, he’s helping to win matches, the way he competes for every ball in every single action is incredible.
‘It will come, he needs to be patient, he’s been through that in the past and he needs to learn those lessons and don’t stop doing those other things that he’s doing so well, because that’s going to maintain the level of him and the team.’
Arsenal, meanwhile, were boosted by the return of Mohamed Elneny who missed two months of the season with a serious hamstring injury.
The experienced Egypt international will offer genuine back-up for Thomas Partey and Arteta is delighted to be able to call upon his former teammate again.
He added: ‘He was really good.
‘He’s been out for eight weeks, we expected him to be out for 12 weeks, he had an amazing recovery, he’s a guy that has been pushing everybody around the training ground to be ready as quick as possible and today I think he competed really well.
‘We have managed the load of the players in the last four weeks because of the amount of games that we have played.
‘To get it perfect is very difficult to get the balance, to get the right performances and win matches and rest some players and keep them fresh is always challenging, we have tried to do our best.
‘Today we had bad news with Tomiyasu, but I think for the rest it has worked pretty well.’
MORE : Thiago Silva the only Chelsea player who gets in Arsenal’s team, says Jamie O’Hara
MORE : Arsenal see off Zurich to go through to last 16 of Europa League
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