"It has been so long" - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admits the time has come for the Gunners to win the Premier League title
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted in a press conference that the time has come for the Gunners to win the Premier League title. Speaking to the press ahead of their clash against Chelsea, the Spanish tactician made the admission and explained the reason behind it as well.
A journalist asked (via Football London):
"FC Zurich manager Bo Henriksen said it's about time Arsenal won the Premier League title, do you agree?"
Arteta responded in the affirmative:
"It is about time because it has been so long. I completely agree with him and we have to earn the time to be there. We have done so far but there is still a long season ahead of us."
This will certainly come as a delight to the Gooners, who have not seen their beloved London club carry the Premier League title since 2004, nearly 20 years ago. They have been more successful in the FA Cup, which they have won seven times over the last two decades.
The Premier League title race currently dependent on an Arsenal team, who are clearly good but young and developing with no experience of these races, against a club who has an average of 92 points over the past five seasons.
Mikel Arteta will be hoping he can bring out the high-performance levels required from his players to secure the title. The Gunners sit in second place, just one point behind the Cityzens, and they will need to win their match against Chelsea to regain pole position.
Arsenal prepare to face local London rivals Chelsea
Both clubs are coming off the back of continental success after they picked up wins in midweek matches across Europe. However, Sunday will see them return to more familiar territory as the two London sides prepare to reunite former colleagues and reopen old rivalries.
Last time out in the Premier League, the Gunners had the more successful runout, handing Nottingham Forest a 5-0 beating. The Blues also saw a five-goal game, but not to their advantage, as they lost 4-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion. So, while Graham Potter's men will be looking to improve that outing with a win at Stamford Bridge today, Mikel Arteta's charges will push to get back on top of the league table.
Chelsea have only won ONE of their last six games vs Arsenal in all competitions 😳😬 https://t.co/jho8WU95Eh
The last time Chelsea lost at Stamford Bridge, it was to Arsenal, and this will perhaps be a cause for concern as the Blues continue to look to get into the top four.