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Mikel Arteta reveals how revenge will motivate Arsenal against Southampton.
As their Premier League title race with Manchester City nears its climax, Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal team is determined to put previous blunders behind them.
The Gunners’ lead at the top of the league has shrunk to four points as a result of recent losses to Liverpool and West Ham, but if they defeat Southampton on Friday night, they might increase that margin to seven points with two games remaining.
The difficult losses at Anfield and the London Stadium, according to Arteta, have fueled his team’s desire for “revenge” as they approach a vital stretch of games.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, he said: “I see a sense of revenge and determination to get it even better and that it’s not enough and you have to tweak it and demand more and more of each other.
“We have to be perfectionists, but at the same time we have to play with that flow.
“We are really good when we play with that energy and flow and don’t be thinking about the results. That’s the last thing that we have to do.
“If anything this week I’ve had to stop them because they want it more and more, so let’s leave it for tomorrow because that’s the day we have to show it.
“The way they talked, the way they communicated in the meetings we had [showed how the players are motivated by a sense of revenge and determination].
“The discussions are to understand how we move forward after that. It was all the right answers – they were very clear on what we want, how we’re going to do it and why it’s taken us all the way here. That’s what we have to continue.”
Arsenal will look to beat a Southampton team that is firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Premier League standings. Rob Holding will continue to fill in for William Saliba in defense, who will still be out.
Next Wednesday will be the crucial matchup with City, who are currently playing Sheffield United in the FA Cup semifinals.