At the break of dawn, the 20th round of the English Premier League will see the Gunners Arsenal challenging Brighton away from home. On the eve of this showdown, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta gave an in-depth interview to Sky Sports, giving his insights on the team's possibilities of competing for the title, reflections on last season's tournament, the reinforcement strategy after Saka's absence, and the growth of new star Nwaneri.
Talking about how Arsenal can lift the title, Arteta firmly stated, "Our goal is to maintain our current competitive form, win every game and show great performances. We have to concentrate on the things that we can control every day, such as training quality, game attitude and so on. History has shown that strong teams such as Liverpool have taken the lead only to miss out on the title, proving that anything can happen in the Premier League. We're only halfway through the season and we still have a lot of games ahead of us and we need to give it our all in every one of them.
Looking back on the past two seasons, Arteta was full of emotion: "There is always room for improvement, there is always the possibility of improvement. Statistically, we should have won two Premier League titles, but the reality is that this is not the case. Instead, it inspired us to be more motivated, eager and passionate about excellence. I believe that in every aspect we can do better, so let's continue to work hard and fight for victory.
On the issue of reinforcements after Saka's injury, Arteta revealed, "We will decide whether to make reinforcements based on the team's needs and the transfer market situation. Of course, we have the opportunity to improve the team and bring in influential players. But more importantly, we need to tap into the potential of our existing team and individuals to improve their game.
Speaking about rising star Nwaneri's stunning performance against Brentford, Arteta was full of praise: "Nwaneri has shown exceptional strength, understanding and personality on the field. He trains hard, prepares well and his teammates have faith in him. It's important that we don't just focus on his age, but see his strength and potential. When a player has such qualities, he needs a chance and he deserves it. Nwaneri is brave and fearless on the field and always wants to be in the spotlight and create chances. I'm sure he has a bright future ahead of him.
