Mikel Arteta wishes Ibrox was full during Rangers vs Arsenal friendly
Rangers held Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at Ibrox in a friendly to commemorate the club’s 150 years of existence today (Saturday), with the visitors coming twice from behind.
The Scottish Premiership champions only had 2000 fans around for the high-profile exhibition game, and Gunners manager Mikel Arteta wishes the stadium had a full capacity.
The Ex-Rangers midfielder was back in the ground for the first time since he left in 2004, and has revealed he would have loved for his players to experience the Ibrox crowd.
Arteta told Arsenal official website when asked about returning to the Bears home and clapping the fans: “It looks exactly the same. It’s one of my favourite stadiums, that’s for sure.
“It’s so special, the atmosphere here, how I was treated for two years. It was my first English experience with the Scottish people that are very, very special for me.
“It was great. It was a shame that we could not play with a full house because I would’ve loved for the players to experience it and go through a game when this stadium is rocking.”
Massive
The Ibrox Stadium is the third-largest football stadium in Scotland and one of the biggest in the world, with an all-seated capacity of 50,817.
Having just 2000 fans available does not compare to what the average matchday experience looks like, and, understandably, Arteta is disappointed not to have witnessed more fans.
The Scottish government insisted the number approved was the maximum they could afford, and hopefully, that would change in the coming weeks.
Apart from the financial boost that comes with having a large number of fans back, Rangers stand to benefit a lot from having a lot of fans available for the Champions League qualifying rounds.
We cannot wait for the coronavirus pandemic to be over, as that could be the only time Ibrox experience full capacity again.
The Light Blues have sold out 45,000 season tickets ahead of 2021-22, with supporters buying the maximum number of tickets available for a sixth consecutive season.
Having 45,000 fans back would be massive, and our boys really could do with the crowd as we look to defend the title next season.
In other Rangers news, player could land deal with Europa League club after Ibrox exit.