Mikel Arteta reveals what impressed him the most about Arsenal during their stunning first half of Premier League season
Mikel Arteta has said that he's impressed with Arsenal's consistency in the first half of their 2022-23 Premier League campaign.
The Gunners took the league by surprise after an eventful summer that saw them sign Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko among others. Arteta's men worked their way up to the top of the table before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, accumulating 37 points in 14 games and losing just once.
As their return to Premier League action nears, the Spanish tactician lauded his team's consistency. Asked what impressed him about their season so far during a press conference ahead of their game against West Ham United, Arteta said (as quoted by independent.co.uk):
“Probably the level that we showed and the consistency we showed within that level, which with the group and the age we have is not easy. We showed real maturity in certain moments, especially against big opponents.”
He added that the Gunners are keen to keep that going in the second half of the campaign:
“The focus is to play better every single day, to keep growing individually, collectively and to keep deserving to win matches. That is all we can hope because football is a very tricky game.”
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Arsenal's run to the Premier League summit included impressive wins over Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at home and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Their only loss came at Manchester United, while they're yet to face second-placed Manchester City.
Arsenal return to action with clash against West Ham United
Some would argue that the FIFA World Cup-induced break came at the wrong time for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side had won four of their five games across competitions before the Qatar showpiece.
They will now hope to keep up that momentum when they meet West Ham United in the Premier League on Monday (December 26) at the Emirates. The Hammers are 16th in the standings and just a point off the relegation zone after a disappointing start to the season.
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West Ham have also not beaten the Gunners since January 2019, when they picked up a 1-0 home victory. They have lost four times and drawn once in the last five meetings against Arsenal. Their most recent clashes came in the Premier League last season.
Arsenal won the first game 2-0 at the Emirates, thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe. Arteta's troops then picked up a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium, courtesy of strikes from Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes either side of Jarrod Bowen's equaliser.