Mikel Arteta said he was disappointed with the criticism meted out to good friend Fernando Torres, while Carl Jenkinson revealed a tribute to a loved one.

The Spanish midfielder Arteta will come face-to-face with compatriot Torres when Arsenal face Chelsea in the English Premier League Saturday, and the 30-year-old revealed his friendship with the embattled striker, who has scored just nine league goals in 51 games for the Blues.

Torres started in decent form this year, but has tailed off yet again in the past few games, prompting the media to get on the striker's back, after he cost Chelsea £50 million ($81 million) in January 2011.

Arteta, however, thinks the criticism is unwarranted. "I don't like the way he has been treated because I have known him since we were 16, 17 and I really appreciate him," Arteta told Arsenal's official website.

"He is a friend of mine. Obviously, football is like that -- it doesn't matter what you have done in the past, it is only what you have done in the last few weeks.

"He has been criticised. Mentally he is a really strong guy even if someone doubts him.

"When you play as a striker and they pay £50million for you, you are under huge pressure," he added.

"And obviously when the ball isn't going in the net, it is even more difficult because people always look at that.

"For a striker, sometimes it is not fair. For a midfielder or a defender it is a bit easier to adapt. For a striker it is tough."

Meanwhile, Jenkinson revealed the message he had left at Armoury Square, the place where you can buy personalized granite stones and engrave them with a message at the Emirates, was for his grandfather.

Jenkinson comes from a long line of lifelong Arsenal fans, and unfortunately for the 20-year-old right-back, his grandfather was not able to see him put on the shirt of Arsenal before passing away. "I just wanted something for my granddad," Jenkinson told the club's official website. "It has always been a bit of a regret that he has not been able to come to my games since I've been at Arsenal.

"It is well documented that my dad is a massive Arsenal fan but granddad was just the same, and I was very close to him. It's a regret that he has not been able to watch me, but I am sure he is looking down at how things are going for me and the fact I'm playing for Arsenal."

Jenkinson said he was just like any other Arsenal fan, and was "privileged and honored" to represent the Gooners. "I am a fan of this club and that will never change," he said. "I am just lucky enough to have been given the ability and the chance to play for my club.

"I was going to watch Arsenal the same as the fans were and (now) just count myself very lucky to represent them as a fan who has become a player.

"It doesn't come around very often and I just feel privileged and honored to be that person."