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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are not taking any game for granted, with the Gunners expecting another tough outing against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
THE LOWDOWN: MORE OF THE SAME
After watching his side come from behind to beat Fulham at the weekend, Mikel Arteta has predicted another tough battle against Aston Villa at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
It took a major show of resilience and character to see Arsenal come from behind to beat Fulham and maintain their perfect start to the season.
The Gunners will now be hoping to continue that run when they welcome Villa to their home turf.
Though Steven Gerrard’s men have started the season on a poor note, losing three out of their first four games, Mikel Arteta knows his side are in for a stern battle, given Villa’s physical approach to games.
THE LATEST: ARTETA PREDICTS STERN BATTLE
Arsenal beat Villa on two occasions last season, with the last encounter between both sides ending in a narrow 1-0 victory for the Gunners. While Mikel Arteta and company remain favourites to win once again, the Spanish manager is predicting a difficult game at the Emirates.
“I watch the Premier League teams and how physical they [Villa] are,” he said to the club’s website. “Every game here is a battle for everybody, and we don’t expect anything different. Villa are a top team, they have a big squad, top quality players and a good manager, and we expect a difficult game again here on Wednesday
“We’ll watch this game [Fulham] and start to analyse them. Obviously, since we played each other they haven’t changed that much. We’ll play towards the games and prepare as well as possible, but they’re a really physical team with a lot of presence, who are really good at using the box and it will be tough.”
Arsenal have been ‘perfect’ so far and questions have been asked about how long the Gunners can keep up their performances. Instead, Arteta has called for better performances from his players, while claiming there is much room for improvement.
He added: “The most pleasing thing is the performances with the results. The way we are playing, what we transmit as a team and then getting that into winning football matches – there’s the reason why we are where we are.
“There is still a lot to improve. There is room individually and collectively in many areas that we have to do.”
THE VERDICT: ACCURATE PREDICTION
It is safe to say there is no ‘easy’ fixture in the Premier League at this point. Though favourites will be ever-present, every side now boasts quality to cause trouble and an upset against even the ‘big boys’.
To mention a few, Manchester City have had to come from behind twice, Liverpool have already dropped points to Fulham and Chelsea have already lost to Leeds and Southampton in the space of four games.
Arteta is right to expect a difficult game even against a struggling side and we can only hope the players put in performances to match the gaffer’s comments.
