We have not experienced victory in the Premier League for three games, and the manager thinks we must seize the opportunities we create to triumph in games we rightfully deserve to win.
That is the test he has set before the game at Villa Park for our players, to whom he has tried to stress the advantages following Wednesday’s matchup between the division’s top two.
He stated in his pre-game press conference, “You want to gain maximum points, and we didn’t in the last three games.” “We need to assess our own selves. With the amount of play and scenarios we’ve created, we need to be more productive; we are to blame for the fact that we haven’t produced enough points. In order to win more games, we must enhance that.
“They were quite sad not to have the outcome. Yet, a short while ago, we were saying, “Guys, we are so distant – we still need to improve,” and now we are getting closer.” Yet, they were far more effective than we were, so it wasn’t enough.
Arteta is encouraged by his team’s recent performances and believes they demonstrate that we are on the right track as we aim to recover and attempt to reclaim the top spot – even if only temporarily – on Saturday. City may have set the standard in the Premier League over the past few years, but having faced them twice in recent weeks, Arteta feels as though it proves that we are on the right trajectory.
The player continued, “When it comes to a [match] like the other day against that team, who I know very well, and the guys are able to create what they produced, it gives me a lot of belief that we are headed in the right direction.