Kieran Gibbs: Trophy-hungry Arsenal can write new chapter with FA Cup win

 
Old-timer: Gibbs has been at the club longer than any other player in the first team squad
GETTY
James Olley16 May 2014

Kieran Gibbs believes the current Arsenal team is among the best he has ever played in and is urging his team-mates to write a new chapter in the club’s history by winning the FA Cup.

The Gunners face Hull at Wembley tomorrow seeking their first silverware since 2005 having finished fourth in the Premier League for the sixth time in nine years.

Gibbs has been at Arsenal for a decade, having arrived from Wimbledon’s youth academy, and although they faded in the Premier League title race this season, the 24-year-old insists this current crop is the finest during his time in north London.

“How I feel, when I play on the pitch, I feel this is the best team that I have played in for a long time,” he said. “I just feel the team has got a good balance and there is a strong desire in the team to win every game. Every day coming in, in training, in everything, it is 100 per cent.

“The club has great history and it is up to us to keep that going. There is no hiding the fact that we have not won a trophy for a few years so there is a little added pressure and added excitement for the players to produce for the club.”

Gibbs, who was an unused substitute when Arsenal lost the 2011 League Cup Final to Birmingham, has been at the club longer than any other player in the first team squad but he admits he is at a loss to explain why the club’s nine-year trophy drought has lasted so long.

“It is hard to say,” he said. “We have not been the luckiest. For me personally I have had injuries at key stages of seasons, we have lost players at key times and you could say we were unlucky in 2011, so I think it is a combination of many things but we are not really looking at what has happened now, we just want to focus on the game on Saturday.

“We have got players who have played and have that experience on these stages. We have also got players who haven't won things for a while so we can use that as our hunger to win on the weekend.”

Gibbs’ career has been blighted by injury but the left-back has made more appearances this season than any other, totalling 40 in all competitions and he believes those fitness problems are finally behind him.

“This has been my best season numbers-wise and stats-wise,” he said. “I had a bit of a dip at the start of the year but managed to finish off strongly and now I'm looking forward to the Cup final and to next season.

“I have played 40 games this season so I have to be happy with that and take it forward from there. [Nacho] Monreal has stepped up when I have not been available and when he has not been available I have performed as well.

“I feel we keep each other on their toes and it is important for our development individually and for the club as well.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT