According to Mikel Arteta, Arsenal needs to be nearly flawless in order to overtake Liverpool, the dominant team in the Premier League, but he believes that momentum is returning following a dismal run.
Despite expectations that Arsenal, who finished second to Manchester City the previous two seasons, would contend once more this season, Liverpool has jumped eight points ahead of second-place City.
After defeating Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the Champions League midweek, the Gunners enter Saturday’s game against West Ham feeling confident.
They ended a four-match losing streak in the league last Saturday by defeating Nottingham Forest 3-0 at home, which cost them valuable ground.
With 22 points from 12 games, Arsenal is tied with Chelsea in third position and one point behind City in second place in the league.
With a struggling City travelling to play Liverpool and Chelsea facing a difficult home match against Aston Villa, Arsenal might finish second if they overcome 14th-placed West Ham.
Arteta was asked at his pre-match press conference on Friday if his squad would have to be practically flawless to stand any hope of catching Liverpool, who have won 10 of their 12 games.
Given the results they’re achieving and the number of games they’re winning, the manager of Arsenal stated, “If they keep going that way, that’s for sure.”
However, the emphasis is on us, keeping up the consistency, particularly in our performances, which will allow us to win a lot more games in the long run.
Following the international break, he claimed to have sensed that Arsenal was gaining pace once again.
He went on to say, “Winning boosts our confidence and energy.” “We had two significant victories, and now we need to win the game by being consistent, building momentum, and trying to duplicate the performance against a strong opponent tomorrow.
He added: “This is every three days so it doesn’t matter what you did yesterday – it’s about the next days, the next performance. Are you able to sustain high-level performance throughout the game as well because of how competitive every opponent is right now? And that’s what we will try to do tomorrow.”
Arsenal’s uptick in form has coincided with the return of captain Martin Odegaard, who spent two months on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Since his return earlier this month, the “exceptional” midfield player has been playing well, according to Arteta.
“Martin has been missed because of his great quality of being a consistent and dependable player who can elevate the game and improve the players around them,” he remarked.
The Spaniard praised his preparation, his efforts with the medical staff and physiotherapists, and the significance of the season.
Since the Chelsea match, he has been outstanding and really reliable. He is incredibly dependable when it comes to elevating the game. The player is of an extremely high calibre.
West Ham, Saturday’s opponents, just defeated Newcastle 2-0 on the road on Monday.
Before the triumph at St. James’ Park, Hammers manager Julen Lopetegui had been under increasing pressure, and Arteta expressed his “huge admiration” for him.
“I have a lot of respect for him, and we are friends,” Arteta remarked.
We both hail from the north of Spain, and we are aware that his squad is strong following a victory at Newcastle and that they are formidable rivals.
Following Gabriel’s departure from the pitch in the 84th minute of the victory over Sporting due to some pain, Arteta stated that he would make a last-minute decision regarding the defender’s participation.
