‘You can sense’ – Arteta looks forward to Liverpool with exciting admission about Arsenal top-four hopes
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insisted that his side have themselves in a solid position as they continue to hunt a Premier League top-four finish.
The Spaniard was speaking after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Leicester at the Emirates Stadium. While the visitors had their moments in either half, Arsenal were in control for the most part.
Indeed, when Leicester did advance, Arsenal had goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to thank for some fantastic contributions.
The result moved the hosts back into fourth after Manchester United had overtaken them with their 3-2 win over Tottenham on Saturday. And the Gunners crucially still have three games in hand on the Red Devils.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Arteta said: “Without putting in a performance we don’t beat Leicester. They are a good side and made it tough for us. It was a big win for us.
“I was pleased with the understanding of what we had to do.
“When they started to overload in certain areas, we understood how we had to resolve that. Also pleased with the movement and link-up between the players was terrific.”
Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard all combined well, as ever, to help Arsenal get forward and dominate the game.
And that was before Emile Smith Rowe came on as a substitute to add to the mix. The quintet combined well on the ball and showed desire off it to keep the Gunners in control.
Asked if the five players’ fluidity and creativity is what is driving Arsenal on, Arteta said: “I hope they do, because they do what they love in their lives, so they have to play with that freedom, that passion, that fluidity.
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“We know they have to do something so we always encourage them to play like this.”
On a sense of comradery, the manager added: “Yeah there is, you can sense it and you can feel it. They are having a good time together and that is translating on the pitch.”
Arteta calls for Arsenal focus
Arsenal’s win over Leicester ranked came as their fifth in a row in the league and stretched their unbeaten run to six matches.
But, Arteta is only focusing on the next game. He said: “It’s the reality in football. If you start making predictions about what will happen, no-one in this room will probably get it right.
“The only thing we can control is our performances and the next game, which is what we are focused on.”
He nevertheless admitted that Arsenal have now put themselves in a “very good position” to finish in the top four, even if “there is still a lot to fight for”.
Liverpool are Arsenal’s next opponents and the Reds were in fact the last team to beat the Gunners, in January in the Carabao Cup.
They will likely pose a sterner test to Arsenal than Leicester did.
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