EPL: Arsenal Must Be Near-Perfect To Catch Liverpool – Arteta

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal must achieve near-perfection to challenge runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool but is confident his team is regaining momentum after a recent slump.

Arsenal, runners-up to Manchester City for the past two seasons, were expected to contend strongly again this year. However, Liverpool have surged ahead, opening an eight-point lead over second-placed City.

The Gunners approach Saturday’s clash against West Ham with renewed confidence after a dominant 5-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League midweek.

EDITOR’S PICKS 

• Electricity Meter Costs Rise Again As Deregulation Takes Effect
• Biden, Harris Set To Congratulate Trump On Presidential Win
• Thousands Of ‘Trained’ Combatants Ready To Fight Israel – Hezbollah Chief

That followed a crucial 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest last weekend, ending a four-match winless streak in the league that had seen them lose ground.

A win at the London Stadium on Saturday could temporarily lift Arsenal to second place, depending on Sunday’s fixtures, including the headline match between Liverpool and Manchester City.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Arteta acknowledged the challenge ahead, emphasizing the need for consistent excellence to have any hope of catching Liverpool, who have won 10 of their 12 league games so far.

“If they continue that way, that’s for sure, with the numbers they’re producing and the amount of games they’re winning,” said the Arsenal manager.

“But the focus is on us, maintaining the consistency, especially in performances, that will give us the right to win a lot of games… this is a long run.”

He said he felt momentum was building at Arsenal again after the international break.

“Winning lifts the energy and our confidence,” he added. “They were two big wins for us and now it’s about consistency, getting that momentum, take it further against a good opponent tomorrow and try to replicate the performance to win the game.”

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.”

FURTHER READING 

• Hezbollah Launches 120 Projectiles From Lebanon Into Israel
• Full List of Chief of Army Staff Who Died in Office
• ECOWAS Court Partners ICRC To Domesticate International Humanitarian Law

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.

Arteta said the “exceptional” midfielder had hit the ground running since his return earlier this month.

“Good players that are so consistent and so reliable, that can take the game to a different level and make the players better around them — that’s a huge quality of Martin’s and he has been missed,” he said.

Click here to watch our video of the week:

---

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611