Mikel Arteta was rightly pleased with his team’s 2-0 win over West Ham last night, talking up the connection between his players and the fans inside the Emirates stadium.
At home, the Gunners have garnered 22 points in the Premier League this season, a tally matched only by Man City, and the three points earned at the expense of European rivals West Ham were an important statement to make.
The manager was keen, as he has been in the past (notably after the win over Leicester), to praise his side, but also ensure that nobody gets carried away.
Speaking afterwards, he insisted the focus would be on what lies ahead, and that nobody can rest on their laurels just yet.
“We’ve made some progress but there’s still a lot to do and we have to be aware of that,” he said.
“We’ve had some bumps in the road but I think we have learnt a lot from them, first of all because we have stuck together, from the top of the club to every member of the team and the staff.
“The biggest compliment I can give, and the players are feeling exactly the same way, is the way that we have our crowd behind us. To see that chemistry between team and crowd is unique – and I’m so proud of that.”
The win over the Hammers took us into the top four for the first time in 14 months, but asked if it means something at this stage of the season, Arteta continued, “No, because the league finishes in May.
“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.”
The Gunners face Leeds away on Saturday evening.
The last two performances have been very encouraging but we need to improve on our performances on the road to have any chance of being in or around the top four come May.
16 of our 23 PL goals this season have been scored by players aged under 23. Gives some hope for the future.
This is such a crazy journey and I think all Arsenal fans have turned into bi polar supporters for the last few months. I’ve certainly gone from despair to jubilance more times than I wish to admit this season. Hey, no one can say we are boring any more. Arteta will live and die on consistency though. If he can get last nights performance 8 out of 10 games then we are going to have a very successful and exciting era with him at the helm. But if we are going to play like we did against Everton 5 games… Read more »
Haha. Just watching the post match interviews.
Anyone notice how Arteta’s voice is almost gone after the end of every game? Especially this one.
Sounds more like me after a rock concert 😀
I think the end of the season is a good time to evaluate Arteta – I would say top 7 is the requirement. Also the way we have bought in the summer, even if Arteta is not the guy, the next person coming in has something to work with in the youngsters. It’s not like he will be left with Mustafi etc.
I also think Arteta needs credit for the signings. They should be seen as a plus for him when evaluating his performance. I don’t honestly know how much or little he has to do with them, but I would imagine it’s enough to give him some responsibility for their quality.
He’s also managing a very young team and that’s not an easy thing to do. You don’t see Pep or Klopp with 7 or 8 23 year olds in their sides.
I’m willing to give Arteta the time he needs to rebuild the club. When Arsene left, everyone agreed it would be at least 4 windows to turn the squad around with the amount of dead wood. The pandemic lengthened that time for me due to lack of player movement. Arteta needs time and the more time he gets, the better we get as a team. We are moving in the the right direction, just need to be more consistent.
We need to really dig deep over Christmas and stack up the points
I’ve backed Arteta from day 1.. really liked his strong stance on non negotiable to the players as they were too comfortable.. and his project is simple to invest in quality young players and for this same group when experienced to challenge for trophies.. he’s a smart young manager just hope fans give him the time he needs
I think he has time although challenge will be for him to increase the levels, from top 8 to top 6 to top 4 to top 2. I believe he on track for Top 4 or 6 but will watch out how he pivots and thrusts forward. He has my backing too! CYOG!!
You backed him when Willian was his first choice and when Xhaka was playing left back?
After the team’s reaction to that foul on Tierney, I thought: Our players have started reading Arseblog!
Precisely. Can I also add praise for David Moyes honest appraisal after the game and agreeing the ref got the penalty call right – most refreshing these days.
I still haven’t forgotten Klopp taking time out of his post-game press conference early this season to discuss the non-call on the Brentford foul on Leno, and putting the question back to the journalists in the room. I’ll always treasure Wenger’s “I didn’t see it,” but it is a breath of fresh air when managers speak directly and honestly at the way the game is officiated.
Be serious – all the Arsenal players and staff read Arseblog!
All you have to do is look at Liverpool, and the work we still have to do becomes clear.
The reassuring thing is that we seem to be on the right path with a big head room for growth.
I imagine ’23 – ’24 season with all our young player intact! Quite tasty.
And if we keep being smart in the transfer market between now and then, we will be firmly back among the top 4, and also feature in the title discussions.