Mikel Arteta exclusive: Arsenal can reignite fierce Manchester United rivalry in race for Premier League title | Football News

Perfection does not exist in Premier League circles, but if it does, it will look like the football Arsenal have produced this season.

The Gunners are a side that looks good at home when away. They delicately balance youth with experience. He produces results with flair and faculty but can also win badly – consider the 1-0 win over Leeds in October as testament.

Sunday’s North London derby victory also showed similar characteristics.

Arsenal’s success was not sudden, but methodical. It has been cultivated over time. Presented and perfected by practitioners whose standards are very high, and the method is as detailed as it is precise.

Mikel Arteta’s long-term project is starting to bear fruit.

Arsenal, perhaps belatedly, overtook Manchester City as favorites for the Premier League crown this season, but Arteta is unhappy with the bookmaker’s predictions. He leaves nothing to chance, leaves no stone unturned.

Like any sensible head coach, he measures progress with tangible signs – such as doubling the league lead over old rivals Tottenham for the first time since 2013-14.

Or the five-point advantage (and a game in hand) currently held by nearest rivals Man City.

Or more interestingly, his impressive total of points (47 from 18 games) – the most collected in any stage of the league campaign since then. They even surpassed Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ from 2003-04.

So how did we get here and what makes this amazing form possible?

“The plan is always to be better, and to be faster, but the reality is different,” Arteta began. “Unfortunately the curve is uncertain [upwards]. Curves up and down,” he describes with a wave-like motion of his hands.

“I am lucky because I have the support I need at every moment. We are facing difficulties that I never planned for, like Covid. a country that needs great improvement. Now we are in a better position.”

The position the Spaniard is aiming for is top of the table. If they stay until May 28, Arsenal will lift their first Premier League trophy in 19 years. They were 40/1 outsiders before a ball was kicked, now the Gunners are challenging – they should lose.

“The demands that the club makes on the players make them hungry,” said Arteta, making sure to also show humility in the next sentence. “No one has won, it’s still very early, but the supporters think that fire and desire – belief is very much related. That should be there at this level.

“We haven’t done that [win the league]. This team is new. We have to give all the arguments we can to achieve it. The will is there, of course. I’m very happy where we are – I wouldn’t change it.

Arteta himself is obsessed with improvement – which is understandable when you consider his tutelage. Working under Pep Guardiola at Man City, he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two league cups. Fast forward a few years, then a couple more, and Pep’s protégé is now the most credible threat to City’s fifth title in six seasons.

Arteta will not be drawn into the irony of retrieving his former teacher, but still enjoys the battle that has arisen between north London and the blue skies of Manchester.

“Weird,” he said. “We worked together for many years. We had incredible experiences together. We have a very special relationship and when you face someone like that, it’s always strange. But I know, the day I made the decision. [to leave Manchester City and join Arsenal]that will happen.”

While Guardiola’s tormented soul is busy trying to illegitimate perfection, bemoaning his “unknowable” team, Arteta has done the opposite. He lit a fire under his players. Arsenal’s DNA, recognizable in the team during the Arsene Wenger era, is finally back. Football is easy on the eyes, electric at times, but more importantly it is predetermined to win.

“We defend and represent the club as best we can,” he said. “We can get better as a club and as a team. That’s a demand we have to make on ourselves. Do the right thing every day.

“Winning brings everything together, believe me. Winning is only helpful. That’s the whole point, what we all do. The way I say it here, everything we do on the football field, every decision we make is to win. The most important thing. “

Man City’s mini-slump is Arsenal’s advantage, but stormy waters lie ahead. Indeed the target on the Gunners’ back is getting bigger every week, as Manchester United try to insert themselves into the narrow title race. Arsenal are now regarded as a threat – and quite a big one at that. A carefully prepared contest always has “twists and turns,” Arteta said.

Sunday’s meeting with Erik ten Hag’s United, therefore, has come to an interesting point. Coping with big events before has caught up with this young Arsenal man, so with tougher tests coming and going fast, how will he do?

“We’ve had a big lesson. You have to understand that setbacks have a certain context – some things we can control, some things we can’t control. We have a responsibility to learn from mistakes.

“It’s true that the team has learned to overcome those difficult times in an efficient way. That’s the important thing. There were times when the rain, the wind, the field was not good and we played three days ago. But you have to still win in that context.

“So winning in any situation is what a good team should have. You can’t win in the same way every three days, it’s impossible. It’s about finding a way – what causes that moment so that you can beat and win football matches. “

This season has been packed full of momentum-shifting moments. Some to Arsenal’s advantage. As United began to show the green tip of their recovery, winning against rivals Man City last Saturday, star midfielder Casemiro was booked for a foul on Wilfried Zaha in the midweek match against Crystal Palace – ruling him out of United’s trip to the Emirates. The Brazilian’s absence may have given Arsenal a competitive edge.

This equipment, during the nineties and noughties, was synonymous with the ‘dark arts’. Think Patrick Vieira vs Roy Keane. Think bust-ups and brawls, fisticuffs and fracases. This is a grudge against the former manager and of course the entire playing staff. But this weekend’s meeting has the potential to rekindle the blame. A throwback to bygone eras, if you will. It “means,” Arteta admitted.

“I have memories [of Arsenal vs Man United] since I was young – I often saw that war. I remember how intense and passionate it was, that really attracted me… Every game is massive now, but we are really focused and determined.

Indeed, both clubs are on the same upward trajectory after the transition period, but, until now, are prone to wobble. We’ll get a better indication of who’s further up the evolutionary pecking order on Sunday.

Arteta finished by giving his thoughts on Arsenal’s new arrival, Leandro Trossard, who he hopes will help him to the title: “He is a player who gives us a lot of versatility and quality in the final third. He knows the league. He is available. and he wants to come – he wants We welcome such players to the club.

“He has a smile on his face and he believes that this is the right time for him to move. It’s a very good thing, between the player, the agent and the club. I’m very happy with the process and the result in the end, obviously. He’s ready and will be available on the day Sunday. I’m very happy.”

The question is, will Arteta still be rubbing his hands together on Sunday afternoon, or will United’s revival be too hot to handle?

Watch Arsenal vs Man Utd live Sky Sports Premier League on Sundays from 4 p.m.; kick-off 4.30pm