Petr Cech showed true colours with message to Arsenal board about Mikel Arteta three years ago

Arsenal stuck with Mikel Arteta through a difficult spell during his early days in the job and have reaped the rewards as they continue to challenge for the Premier League title

When Mikel Arteta's future at Arsenal was in doubt three years ago, it was Petr Cech who stood up for him.

Arteta had only been in the post for a year when issues started to arise over his tenure. Amid growing fan concern over poor Premier League performances and a 4-1 loss to Manchester City in the League Cup, former Gunners goalkeeper Cech spoke out on talkSPORT.

Cech said (via the Mirror ): "It's hard for any manager when results don't go your way and then you try to change the way the team play or the philosophy of the football. When you start to change a little bit it needs time. As well to implement that faster you have to have everybody believe in it, you need some results as well."

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Cech, who had a successful career with Chelsea before winning the FA Cup with Arsenal in 2017, also emphasised the importance of confidence in performance. He urged everyone at Arsenal to unite during challenging times, saying: "This is the hardest part in football because it's easy to suddenly say this is not working and do something else but you can't do that all the time," he added.

"But of course in modern football it's the results that count and at the end of the day you need to find your balance to have success and the way you do it."

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Three years after Cech asked for more time for Arteta, it's fair to say he was right. Arsenal's journey hasn't been completely smooth under their boss they came eighth in the season when Cech shared his views, but the Gunners have certainly done better and are now looking well-placed for a second consecutive title challenge.

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