07 March 2023 , 17:46
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Mikel Arteta has already revealed his stance on Arsenal's recent defensive performances amid concern and criticism from Gary Neville after Saturday's 3-2 home win over Bournemouth.
The former Manchester United ace has explained how Arsenal need to stop conceding goals if they are to stand any chance of lifting their first Premier League title for 19 years with Manchester City breathing down their necks.
The Gunners have taken just about everyone by surprise with their form this term and after 26 games played, Arteta's men sit top of the league while boasting a five-point advantage over nearest challengers City.
However, recent fixtures have seen Arsenal show signs of defensive fragilities that will undoubtedly concern the coaching staff at the Emirates. Just last weekend, the league leaders were forced to come from 2-0 down to beat 19th-placed Bournemouth at home via a 97th-minute Reiss Nelson winner.
The Cherries' first goal stunned the Emirates into silence early on, coming straight from kick-off and hitting the back of the net in nine seconds.
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These defensive lapses appear to be the reason why Neville still feels City will pip the Gunners to the post when it comes to winning the league.
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are the main cogs in an Arsenal defenceHAVE YOUR SAY!Do Arsenal need to improve defensively to win the league? Comment below
Arsenal actually started the season defensively sound, with Gabriel and William Saliba forming a solid foundation at the heart of the Gunners backline and Aaron Ramsdale in inspired form.
However, the central defensive duo were alleged to have had an on-pitch bust-up after the recent 1-0 win away at Leicester, but Arteta was quick to quash speculation of any real fall-out and spoke highly of the how duo bring the best out of each other.
"They are a happy marriage they love playing with each other," the Spaniard claimed. "But they are really demanding with each other which is good! Everything is fine."
Meanwhile, Neville remains unconvinced as he reflected on Arsenal's dramatic win over Bournemouth while speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast as he explained: "But they made it really difficult for themselves.
"They've got real momentum, there's a spirit building, the fans are with them, I would say to them they’ve got to stop conceding goals.
"It sounds like a really simple thing to say but when you concede goals on a run-in it's really tough and they've conceded two against Bournemouth, they've conceded against Brentford, they've conceded against United, Villa, City. They've conceded quite a few goals, I think 11 in the last eight games."
Up next for the Gunners is a trip to Lisbon to take on Sporting CP in the Europa League round-of-16, before they visit Fulham on Sunday aiming to continue their league-winning streak.