Mikel Arteta admits to finding life hard on the Arsenal bench

Mikel Arteta has admitted he is finding it hard adjusting to life on the Arsenal bench, but is doing all he can to help his team from off the pitch.

The emergence of Francis Coquelin as Arsene Wenger’s first-choice anchor man has seen the club captain stuck on the bench, though he has made telling contributions in close encounters with Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

Having recovered from the ankle problems that limited him to just 11 appearances last season Arteta is keen to make a greater impact even if he isn’t a starter.

“It’s hard when you come [on] like this, when the team is hanging on to try to keep that result, but you need to get there with the highest intensity possible, start making an impact if possible, and it’s a new situation for me,” he wrote in his programme notes.

“I’ve never been like this before, a substitute. When you’re sitting on the bench you just have to keep trying to see things happening, where the danger is, and think what can I do if I go on the pitch?

“Going from the outside to the inside is very different. Outside, everything looks slower, and when you get in there it’s 100mph so you really need to be ready. You have to warm up really well and when you get there you have to be ready to go straight away.”