After a good week in the league for Arsenal, they face Tottenham away from home in what will be a huge game for the Gunners, one that they absolutely must win.
Odegaard and Havertz were the bright stars midweek for Mikel Arteta’s side, and David Raya got another clean sheet to his name, making that 14 for the season.
Spurs will face a tough Arsenal side without a doubt; though, North London derbies are never easy, and they won’t want Arsenal to gain three points in a title race that could see them crowned champions in four weeks.
Mikel Arteta spoke to the press today about the North London derby, the title race, and potentially qualifying for the Champions League next season.
on our schedule compared to Spurs:
We’re going to be fully ready. We’ve had a bit of time as well to recover and prepare from the Chelsea game. I’m sure the team is going to be fully ready to go again on Sunday.
on his North London derby preparations as a manger compared to when he was a player:
More motivation, if anything, because you know what you can give people, which is a lot of joy and happiness if we manage to win the game. When you have the chance to do that and it’s in your hands, you really want to make the most of it to try and make it happen.
on what he’s telling our players:
Enjoy the moment, try to navigate this in a natural way. They are super competitive at the moment, everything we’re doing in the training sessions is to compete, compete and compete. And it’s a really good sign, because we know what we’re going to have to do if we want to win it, and that’s it. We have to raise the bar every day in training to try to match that so when we play our games, we’re ready.
on whether the result at Tottenham two years ago was a low point for him:
My memory is failing me, I’m more focused on the one last year, that’s more positive!
on whether there is an advantage to playing every few days:
I don’t know. What I can tell you is the boys are going to be fully ready on Sunday to play against a great opponent. They are going to make it very difficult for us and we are going to have to be very good to beat them.
on whether he would have preferred two weeks off:
I love the fact we played four times, and we had some great experiences in a very demanding week. We managed to have some really good results in the last two, and obviously that boosted our confidence and the belief of everybody. We are in a good place.
on whether Postecoglu will tweak his tactics against us:
I don’t know what they will do, they haven’t changed much and have been very consistent. I think that’s probably been the biggest strength in what they’ve done, so we have to be prepared. In games, things can change, and you have to be able to tweak things if necessary.
on no-one talking anymore about finishing above Spurs:
I think we have to look at ourselves and what we want to achieve, what our goals are and then evaluate that. Obviously you have put that in the context of a league and a lot of clubs and teams that are super strong make it really difficult for you, and I think that evaluation has to be related more about what we’ve done, what we’ve done right and what we can still improve, and then make certain decisions in relation to that.
on how he feels about the title chances now:
Now we are there. We have to look at ourselves and try to perform in the best possible way to win our matches and I can’t wait to see what happens. That’s what we discuss. It sounds a bit repetitive but it’s what we have to do.
on whether it’s a two-horse race:
I don’t think so. I think the league is tremendously demanding and there can still be a lot of turns. We all know how difficult it is to win games in this league.
on whether Arsenal need to be perfect until the end of the season given City’s performance on Thursday:
It’s another game that they managed to win in a convincing way and something that we cannot control so this is what we have to do.
on us potentially qualifying for the Champions League next season this weekend:
We have to do it first and when we do it, I think is important to mention it and remember it. Then go to the next one.
on Jurrien Timber’s availability:
We have to make that decision tomorrow after the training session. He’s very close, I don’t know if this is too early, but he’s very close now.
on the decision to sign Kai Havertz:
It’s not my decision, it’s our decision. We were super aligned with the club’s vision, and then obviously on the sporting side, we made a recommendation. A lot of people were involved and then you need the ownership to back you as well, and make things happen. We were very convinced that they were characters first, they were players with the right qualities to fit within our model, our club, and sometimes it takes a bit of time, that’s inevitable. Sometimes you’re going to make mistakes, I try to minimise them, and try to at least generate the environment, and everything that the players need to fulfil their potential.
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