Mikel Arteta shares Arsenal concerns with Premier League title challenge at risk
Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal will not win the title unless they improve in attack AND defence.
Arteta saw his team blow the chance to regain top spot after a disappointing defeat to West Ham and could be down in fourth by the time they kick off against Fulham on Sunday. Liverpool are in pole position while Manchester City and Aston Villa could overtake the Gunners if they win their games with Sheffield United and Burnley respectively.
It has provided a painful wake-up call for Arsenal and Arteta was not just unhappy about his team missing chances as they set a new unwanted record of having 77 touches in the opposition box without scoring.
But Arsenal were also punished for bad defending again and Arteta admits that is just as much of a concern. When asked whether Arsenal could win the title playing like they did against West Ham, Gunners boss Arteta said: “If we don’t improve in the boxes, no.
“Because at the end that is what it is. But generating the rest, yeah. You say it is a record, no? I don’t think there are many teams in the league who have done that for many years. Something very positive, I think.
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“Without a spark you don’t generate what the team generated against West Ham. It is impossible. But it is the final thing, the final touch, the final action that puts the ball in the net or not. That is what we need.”
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Arsenal's title hopes have been knocked following a disappointing defeat to West Ham (Getty Images)Arteta insists there is no reason to panic despite Arsenal failing to take advantage of City being away at the Club World Cup as the Gunners have picked up just one point from a possible six.
The Gunners boss insists they must focus on themselves rather than worry about their title rivals and claimed they must be positive and not be concerned if they drop to fourth. Arteta also insisted that the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli do not need a rest.
Arteta said: “Obviously there are a lot of games but they looked really good, looked fresh. When you win, you don’t look at that. They are young. If they were 35 maybe it would be a different question. They are young, they have a lot of energy. They can keep going, that is for sure.
“We can be second as well. And if we win at Fulham we can be first. We have to do what we can control. It’s not time to look at other teams. You see how difficult it is for other teams and it is going to continue to be like that, because the level of the league is incredible.”
Arteta also insisted that the crowd are behind them - and the players are determined to pay back their faith despite an obvious drop off in atmosphere at the Emirates this season.
He added: “We want to win, they want to win with us and they are pushing the team to do that. Listen, there is nothing we can demand from the crowd. They have been exceptional for us.
"The only thing we can do is give them more and try to get a lot more back. They want to win and they know the margins are really small. And they want to see the team win, this is what we have to do.”
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