Mikel Arteta said on Friday the Premier League title race cannot be boiled down to a straight shootout between Arsenal and Liverpool as he urged his players to relish the battle.
The Gunners moved to within four points of Arne Slot’s table-topping Reds following their 2-1 comeback victory against Tottenham at the Emirates on Wednesday.
Liverpool had dropped two points against high-flying Nottingham Forest the previous day, though they still have a game in hand over their rivals.
Chelsea are 10 points behind Liverpool following a slump, while champions Manchester City are a dozen points off the pace.
But Forest are just two points behind Arsenal and in-form Newcastle are also in the mix.
“I don’t think so,” Gunners manager Arteta said when asked if Liverpool and Arsenal were in a straight fight for the title.
“When you look at every game in the Premier League and the margins and how teams are winning football matches, it can go either way.
“In two or three weeks we could be talking about something different. We are still in January so it is going to be a long, long run.”
Arsenal host Aston Villa at the Emirates on Saturday fresh from their comeback triumph over Spurs, which breathed fresh life into their bid to land a first league title in two decades.
“If you want to be fighting for the top trophies with the top teams for 11 months, like we have been doing for the last two-and-a-half years, you have to enjoy these moments, circumstances or challenges and the pressure that comes with it because it’s the beauty of it,” said Arteta.
“We are playing to win and that’s exactly where we want to be.”
The 42-year-old Spaniard added: “It’s always important when we are able to win and capitalise on other teams dropping points, firstly because we won, and secondly because for the rest it’s not what they wanted. It has been a good week. But we need many more of those at the moment because of where we are (in the table).”
Arsenal are without long-term absentee Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus following his season-ending cruciate ligament injury.
Jesus’ devastating injury leaves Kai Havertz as the club’s sole recognised forward and Arteta reiterated his desire to make a move in the January transfer window.
“We have more necessity now because of what happened in the last few weeks, and that’s obvious,” said Arteta.
“We are trying actively to find the best possible solution. We have to do what we think is right and what we can do as well.”
AFP
