Having cut the gap to Liverpool at the top of the table this week, Mikel Arteta has urged his players to keep pushing in the title race as he feels they’re relishing the battle.
After the Reds dropped two points at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, we went and beat Tottenham Hotspur to get to within four of Arne Slot’s team at the summit, as ourselves and the Reds refuse to blink as we boast the two longest unbeaten streaks in the Premier League right now.
But having been in the role of the hunted at this point over the past couple of seasons, Mikel feels his players are enjoying being the hunter in 2024/25 as we chase down the Merseysiders instead of lading the way ourselves. He believes that this time, any pressure generated comes from within as we aim to find new levels to drive us towards the ultimate prize.
Reflecting on the past few days, he said: “It’s always important when we are able to win and capitalise on other teams dropping points. It’s always a great week, firstly because we win, and secondly because for the rest it's not what they wanted. We need many more of those at the moment because of where we are. We need to stay very focused to understand that what we want to do will be a challenge.
“If you want to be fighting for the top trophies with the top teams for 11 months like we've been doing the last two-and-a-half years now, you have to enjoy these kind of moments, circumstances or challenges and the pressure that comes with it. That’s the beauty of it. We are playing to win and that's exactly where we want to be.
“I think the pressure comes from within, nobody can put pressure on you. I think it’s the wrong way and if that’s the case, it’s because you’re probably not doing or preparing the right way. I think you have to thrive to be the best that you possibly can and there’s no more pressure than that in my opinion when you have these daily commitments with yourself to achieve that.”
We made it 11 games without defeat by winning the north London derby in midweek, a run made remarkable by the fact that we’ve had just one one-game week since the November international break, which means our game against Aston Villa on Saturday will be our 16th game in 56 days.
The relentless nature of the fixture list highlights the endless energy required throughout the squad and supporter base to keep standards high, and Mikel feels that’s exactly what is being achieved right now. He wants that maintained as we aim to fight right until the bitter end once again.
“When you look at our run in the Premier League in the last 11-13 matches, I think it speaks for itself, not only the results but the performances,” the boss added. “Doing it again and again every three days in different competitions, that’s what we want to achieve.
“When you look at every game in the Premier League and the margins and how teams are winning football matches, it can go either way, so there are two or three ways you can be talking about something very differently. We’re still in January and it’s going to be a long, long run.”
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