The Gunners have been called "babies" by Manchester United legend Patrice Evra, but according to Arsenal defender Rob Holding, the Frenchman's opinion doesn't matter at all. The English maintained Arsenal is a tough football club and the players are always psyched to fight hard in every game on the pitch.
When Arsenal bowed to a 1-0 defeat against Sheffield United, Evra immediately launched into criticism and suggested the Gunners looked pretty but far from a winning team. He added playing against the North London club made him happy because he knew it'd be a win for the Red Devils.
"I used to call them 'my babies' 10 years ago, and they are still, when I look at them and think they are my babies, that's the truth. I'm not being disrespectful when I say that," the football icon was reported as saying.
Holding, however, was unfazed by the hurtful words from Evra, dismissing them as a mere opinion and "everyone is entitled to their own opinion."
"What [Evra] says doesn't affect me personally. I know what I am and how I like to play. Just as a group of players we knew it would be a fight," Metro reported Holding as saying.
He added the Gunners are made aware that each game is like a war, and out there, players are pumped up to give the best they can.
His words echoed that of Granit Xhaka, who stated that Evra of all people should understand how it is exactly when on the pitch facing the opponent, The Telegraph reported.
"For me, it's strange because they were in the same situation as us. They were players as well," the Arsenal captain said.
Xhaka called on Evra to be more circumspect when sharing what's on his mind the next time, adding that for a great player, "you have to be careful what you say in those situations as well."
Meanwhile, the loss by Arsenal appeared to prove that the club is lacking on a solid defensive wall, as evidenced by the 22 goals the team had allowed opponents to score under the watch of Unai Emery. Against the Blades, it was clear that Gunners defenders Sokratis and David Luiz struggled against a club that is not exactly a prolific scorer in the season, Evening Standard said in a report.
In part, Sheffield scored and secured a win because Holding was not in the game.
"Emery should know now, Rob Holding is Arsenal's best center-back and quite simply has to be the heartbeat of the defense," the report suggested, adding Sokratis and Luiz do not have the calming influence radiated by Holding.
