“It doesn’t mean anything, there are still other teams that have to play” – Mikel Arteta dismisses hype around Arsenal being league leaders
Arsenal visited the Vitality Stadium and left with all three points in the bag, beating Bournemouth 3-0 on the day. The strong result has put the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table, as this is their third win in three games.
While Gooners might be excited about the direction the club is headed in, Mikel Arteta has warned that the remarkable start to the season should not get to their heads.
Arsenal win their first three Premier League games for the first time since 2004-05 👀 https://t.co/F8dER6jYIT
Speaking to the press (via Arsenal) after the win against the Cherries, the Spanish tactician urged against complacency and dismissed the hype around their current position:
“It’s just three games. It doesn’t mean anything, there are still other teams that have to play. What it means is that we have managed to win three games, that we are scoring goals, keeping clean sheets, the team is playing and performing well, competing really well, but it’s about Monday, start training again and start to get better at the other things that we have to do as well, and focus on Fulham.”
With Manchester City set to play against Newcastle United - and expected to win - Arteta's concerns are not misguided. Pep Guardiola's men have won the two games that they have played without conceding a single goal.
If they beat Newcastle by two goals or more, the Cityzens will have a better goal difference than their north London counterparts.
In full voice for the full 90 📣
Thank you to every single one of our supporters today, we couldn't do it without you ❤️
#BOUARS https://t.co/peR4IVKZz3
With Arteta intent on keeping his players grounded and playing well, Arsenal may well be in the title discussion before the World Cup draws near. There's no telling how the season may go, but the Gunners will need to maintain their current momentum to garner as many points as possible.
Mikel Arteta was impressed with Arsenal overall
During the same presser, the Spanish tactician was asked about the overall performance and how he felt with the 3-0 win. Arteta expressed his pleasure and gave the credit to the players who performed admirably:
"I am very happy. It’s really difficult to come here and win 3-0. So credit to the boys, the way we played, especially the way we started the game and continued to play."
Arteta will be hoping to keep the momentum going, with a looming clash against Manchester United coming in early September.