Mikel Arteta says he will have more to his name than Arsenal’s squad ahead of their clash with Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title.
The Gunners are currently top of the league after a late win against Brentford last Saturday and could go four points clear with a win over Wolves at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday before their rivals step up.
The north Londoners go into the game as heavy favorites and could be in for another goal celebration after being thrashed 6-0 by RC Lens in the Champions League.
For the first time this season, Arteta was able to field his preferred six-man squad on Wednesday night amid a spate of injuries. Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus emerged as the first-choice back three last season, followed by captain Martin Odegaard, alongside new faces Declan Rice and Kai Havertz in the starting XI.
Six different players scored in the win, with goals from William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko in a 3-1 win over Burnley in November underscoring the importance of field goals.
In the eyes of many, Arsenal have not been very impressive in attack this season, opting instead to maintain control for long periods, which has been successful according to several statistics.
Arsenal have allowed just 28 shots on target in the league this season, 13 games in total, the fewest in the league.
Although the focus has shifted slightly, with Arsenal still scoring goals and winning games, Arteta believes his side still have a lot to offer and need to take the next step.
“I think there will be more levels to come and I hope so. “We have to continue to do a lot of what we’re doing in games to qualify for wins, but I think we can still improve and be consistent.”Maintaining consistency and peaking at the right time is crucial for Arsenal, as demonstrated by the way Man City have won the last three Premier League titles.
But Jamie Carragher is unsure how the Gunners can continue their winning streak.”I’m not sure Arsenal are better equipped to compete for the title,” he told Sky Sports.
“I don’t think their defense is very good at the moment because we’re talking about a team going from the third best defense to the best, so does that make a difference?”
“We’re also talking about the sixth best offensive team, even if one of their stats is 11th. “If Arsenal stay in the form they are in now and this is the Arsenal we’re going to see this season, I don’t think they’re going to win the league.”
