If Arsenal are to make a serious go of challenging for a Champions League place, Mikel Arteta knows that his side’s home form is going to be vital.
So far, all is well on that front. The Gunners have accumulated 22 from a possible 27 points at the Emirates – the joint highest tally in the Premier League alongside reigning champions Manchester City.
Last night’s 2-0 win over West Ham United made it five wins on the bounce in N5, the first time that’s been achieved under the Spaniard, and the three points helped us up to the heady heights of fourth in the table, albeit having played more games than Manchester United and Sp*rs.
While the threat of Covid-19 meant the stadium was far from full, those in attendance provided a suitably lusty soundtrack to an ebullient performance.
Asked if the synergy between the terraces and those on the pitch is the best its been since he arrived two years ago, Arteta said:
“Probably yes, because they show exactly what I expect from them, which is total unity with the team.
“We are building a project and I always said to build a project without the people we play for is going to be impossible, because they are the biggest pillar of the project that we have.
“When they are with us, the team grabs that pillar and we can become really strong. I’m really pleased with that.”
The growing relationship with the fans is something he touched on a few times.
“I’m really pleased with the performance, the attitude, the commitment and the quality that we showed in the game, and the chemistry that we generated again with our supporters,” he added.
“To win a game at home is really important, because it sets the tone of the team against a really good side that is very difficult to dominate the way we did today.”
Arteta’s next challenge is to get the Gunners playing the same style of football away from home. Too many times this season, limp performances on the road have led to dropped points and more ground being lost on the top three sides. The boss pinpointed the recent 3-2 defeat at Manchester United as an example.
“When we went to Old Trafford, I think we played much better than last year but we lost the game – and that’s where we have to come away from those grounds when we get the performance with the points. That’s the next challenge.”
He also admits that being in the top four today doesn’t mean much with five months of the season left to play.
“The league finishes in May,” he noted, “but it’s much better than where we were, and we want to be higher. We need to find that consistency – we know the level of this league.
“This league is absolutely ruthless and tomorrow is always different to today, so let’s prepare for the next game.”
We should be higher, given the results away at Everton and United could have been wins on other days. Need to get the right mentality when playing away as we have the joint best home record in the PL this season.
So promising given the youth and newness of the team.
I think what we’ve seen in the last two games has been a continuation of the pressure which brought the first goal. Hopefully we can avoid the sitting back that caused us the issues in those two games.
Agree. The results at Everton and Munt were so disappointing at least in part because it was clear we could have done much better due to a combination of fear/luck/imponderables. We’re not far off a reality where we beat both of them comfortably
Not sure we should be higher – the top 3 have been lightyears ahead of the rest.
I cannot believe anyone disagrees with this. Look at the goal difference. There is a race for the championship that will be won by one of the three top teams. None of them will fall below third (barring a mass illness which, unfortunately, might not be impossible nowadays).
We have a chance to finish fourth. We are a very young team, we inevitably make mistakes that will cost games, and we are not very good away from home–yet. But we really, genuinely, for real, have a chance to finish fourth.
Had Utd been a draw, I would have been completely satisfied with our season till now. Rest all games i am fine.. brentford 1st day they were all pumped up, brighton were good then, crystal palace draw compensated by leicester win, city liv of course acceptable, everton one off away game loss.. Chelsea at home and Utd in turmoil not acceptable
That’s a sensible analogy. A lot of fans were aggressively demanding 6 points from the double-header at Old Trafford and Goodison, unfairly in my opinion.
The Arteta Out fans come out of the woodwork after a couple of games without a win without remembering the bigger picture, the new project, that there was/is going to be lots of bumps and surprise defeats. And there will be again at times this season.
Agreed. Plenty of frustration to come, but further down the line this team will deliver the goods — consistently.
It seems a shame to me that these pages are so much the quieter, with so much less traffic, following a win than they are following a loss. But I guess you can say “we were good” only so many different ways, whereas disappointment is legion!
The most impressive thing for me this season is picking up wins instead of scrapping to draws as in the past and that has cost us a lot of points. We’ve been disappointing in the big games, but barring Everton, Palace, and Brentford we’ve got the business done. A long way to go. But I’m pleased to see the attack creating in the last two games. Really highlights the importance of a forward that contributes in build up – particularly in counter attacks. So many attacks and particularly counter attacks were just dying as soon as Auba was required to… Read more »
The crowd yesterday was terribly quiet for large periods of the game.
Got the point. He talked about crowd and connection from the beginning of his era, and the change compared to the worst times with Emery is undiscussable. And i am no emery hater, just a note.
There was a long time when Emery just felt like a downward spiral. I remember that game against maybe Watford when Xhaka said they were playing scared. But for all the hiccups in the road with Arteta, even when it’s been a struggle I’ve always felt like it was a struggle towards something, that he had some sort of idea for this team. Perhaps it’s easier to say in hindsight, but even in the doldrums of those awful non-winning sequences my biggest worry wasn’t that Arteta was a bad coach, but that the amount of deadwood in the squad and… Read more »
Well said, top to bottom. Cheers.
Mehn…
You sure know how to write.
This is the same reason I always enjoyed being an Arsenal fan even during the trophy drought. I always supported the young players and feels proud when they do well because of the feeling that they were made at Arsenal. Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Szczesny, Gibbs, Bellerin, and all the young players that came through, I was really attached to them because we all watched them grow in Arsenal colours. When they left one by one, I felt a disconnection with the team esp. during the Emery era. Thankfully that connection is coming back with the current group… Read more »
This is one best comments ever. Thank you Zadok.
Best home team with City, means something. Next step, away improvement without home decreasing.
Perhaps the team should play away matches in the traditional Red and white, not different colours just to fleece Joe public. Might then feel like they are playing at home and will win more away games.
We are The Arsenal. We play in red and white.
I may be an outlier but I’ve really liked our away kits of late.
Nothing against the away kits. Just wish that we could get back to one main strip and an alternative when there is a clash of colours. But then I’m old-fashioned.
Aaron Ramsdale
Benjamin White
Kierian Tierney
Emil Smith-Rowe
Bukayo Saka.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
This is now the real British core Arsene Wenger envisioned – also an added impetus for crowd chemistry.
Anyone else picturing fans around the Emrites in lab coats doing experiments? No? Just me then…
From a television wathcher’s perspective, the supporters have been fantastic all season, home and away. A noticeable improvement on any season in recent memory, and it’s great to feel that coming through the TV. For those on here who attend games regularly, keep up the good work! We hear you, and far more importantly, the players hear you.