Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that one of his defenders was certainly not enthusiastic playing in the position in which he was deployed on Monday night against Portsmouth.

The Gunners managed to respond to the disappointment of being knocked out of Europe last Thursday by beating Portsmouth 2-0 to progress to the next round of the FA Cup.

Monday night’s clash with Pompey saw Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta make a number of changes to his starting eleven as he demanded an emphatic return to winning ways following the defeat to Olympiacos.

The match saw Sokratis occupy an unfamiliar position at right-back even though Ainsley Maitland-Niles was on the bench and available for selection.

Despite playing out of position, the Greek veteran managed to produce a solid display which saw him score Arsenal’s first goal of the night.

However, Arteta did reveal after the game that Sokratis moaned about the boss’ decision to play him as a full-back in the FA Cup tie at Fratton Park.

“He moans a little bit because it is not his position! But for certain games, he is very helpful and he always has the right attitude and he has the qualities to play there in essential moments when we need him.” the Arsenal boss said, as per Arsenal.com

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