After blending into the background over recent years, it would be fair to say that Steve Bould has certainly come into his own over recent weeks and played a large part in Arsenal’s impressive start to the campaign. With Arsene Wenger’s role being extremely limited due to a touchline ban for the win against Montpellier on Tuesday, it was left to Bould to manage team affairs and he has since claimed that he is very impressed with how the team expressed themselves.
Bould was practically given the reins for the night, with Wenger not even allowed to enter the dressing room before the game or at half-time. However, despite the absence of the manager, Bould stepped up to the mark incredibly well and half-masterminded the 2-1 victory over the French champions.
When asked about the game the former defender said, “We’ve got great team spirit. I think that was evident tonight. Everybody is digging in and things are looking OK. I am not sure I enjoyed it. I have got a headache and a half. It is tough, a different pressure than I have been used to taking the Under-18s, but we won and we had a great result.”
Wenger incurred this ban after criticising the referee in last season’s defeat to AC Milan in the competition. However, with his ban in the Champions League still having two games left, he’ll at least hold confidence in assistant manager Bould to produce the goods in the future. While the Gunners did go behind in this clash, they were fairly comfortable throughout and thoroughly deserved to win by the 2-1 score line. Moreover, Wenger will also be delighted at the form of Lukas Podolski, with the German striker notching his third of the season for his new club after his two Premier League goals.