Arsenal midfielder Christian Norgaard has delivered a rallying cry to his teammates, insisting the Gunners are determined to "fire on all cylinders" as they chase silverware on multiple fronts, including next month's Carabao Cup final and the ongoing FA Cup campaign.
The Denmark international, who joined Arsenal from Brentford in a shock £10million transfer, has played an unsung role behind the scenes for Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders. Despite limited minutes, Norgaard remains a highly valued member of the dressing room—so much so that teammate Leandro Trossard recently identified him as the club's integral standard-setter.
The humble 31-year-old was delighted to receive such praise from his fellow professional. "Of course, that is always nice to hear from a player of his calibre," Norgaard responded. "It started a few years back, when I was at Brentford. I do it more for myself and if people follow it, or look at it, that's amazing. Hopefully, I can help players start doing these things at a younger age."
With Arsenal preparing for FA Cup fourth-round action against Wigan Athletic, Norgaard emphasized the importance of maintaining focus despite the Gunners' strong position in the league. Thursday's frustrating 1-1 draw at Brentford did little to dampen spirits in the camp.
"I think there are still so many positives for us to talk about when it comes to the Premier League. We are in an amazing situation," Norgaard said. "But we spoke about it before, the cup games are fantastic as well. An FA Cup game at home is going to be amazing, so hopefully we can also progress in that tournament."
When asked if the collective target is another showpiece final and potentially silverware, Norgaard responded enthusiastically: "Yeah, absolutely. That would be amazing. We want to fire on all cylinders in every competition and with this depth we have in the squad right now it is possible. But that takes a lot of focus, concentration and respect for these kinds of games."
The Dane warned against complacency ahead of the clash with Wigan Athletic, who recently parted company with manager Ryan Lowe. "Mindset is very important," he explained. "We have seen it all already this season, where there have been games that we have gone in as huge favourites and still had difficulties getting into the game. So this game demands a lot of respect, just like any other."
Interestingly, Norgaard admitted he was unaware of Wigan's famous FA Cup triumph in 2013 when they defeated Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley. "No, I don't [remember it] unfortunately. It's good you've said it, as now I can read about it!" he revealed with a smile.
"It's a tough competition. I don't remember too much of it from when I was young—it was more the Denmark and Spanish leagues. But I know it is a historic tournament, and hopefully we are going to go far in it."
With the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City looming in March and the FA Cup journey continuing, Norgaard's message is clear: Arsenal are hungry for glory.
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