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In the race for the Premier League title, Mikel Arteta demands more from the Arsenal players.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged his team to “step in and contribute a bit more” if they want to win the Premier League.
The Gunners have moved eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the standings, though have played a game more than the reigning champions and still have to visit the Etihad Stadium before the end of the season.
Probably most importantly, Man City are still engaged in three fronts of battle whereas Arsenal, who were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League by Sporting CP on Thursday, are just focused on the Premier League.
Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba, two Arsenal defenders who were injured during that European elimination, were updated by Arteta during Sunday’s 4-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace.
The Spaniard cited the team’s replacement for Saliba, Rob Holding, as a brilliant example of how to enhance their game in order to outlast Man City in the title fight, during that same news conference.
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Arteta said: “We’ve lost players already this season. We’ve lost Gabby [Gabriel Jesus] for four months, Thomas Partey for one-and-a-half months, Oleksandr Zinchecnko for one-and-a-half months, we’ve lost Mohamed Elneny for six to eight months. Now we’ve lost Eddie [Nketiah], Tomiyasu and Saliba.
“Everyone has to give a little bit more. It’s not a secret. If you want to maintain that level, everyone has to step in and give a little bit more. Rob is an example of what we needed today.
Arteta was then informed that the title picture might change slightly if some of his key players suffer injuries during the March international break. For example, star striker Jesus only recently rejoined the Arsenal squad after suffering a knee problem during the previous break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“I want to think positively. Touch wood, but I want to think positive,” Arteta replied.
“They’re going to have to play games, they have to do it in the way that they do it here or possibly even better with their country.
“[My message is] that they really look after themselves in this period. We will look after the players that are with us here.
“That they come back with the same mindset and hunger from before to go into Leeds [on April 1] which is the only important game right now. We know it.”