“We Are Alive” – Mikel Arteta Confident His Team Can Last The Pace In Title Race

Arteta pleased by the team’s workrate…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised his team’s determination to defend until the final whistle in our comfortable 5-0 win at Burnley, highlighting that desire as proof that the team is “alive” in the title race.

Fresh from thrashing West Ham United 6-0 on their patch in a London derby, all eyes were on Arteta’s men to see if professionalism would be maintained against relegation candidates Burnley.

With Liverpool extending the gap at the top of the table to five points earlier that day, the onus was on us to respond and we did so – in a truly emphatic fashion.

Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka gave the visitors a commanding lead before the interval, with the boys maintaining their intensity in the second half to add a further three goals.

While fans are rightly excited by the team’s recent form in front of goal, Arteta decided to focus on the desire to keep a clean sheet deep into stoppage time at Turf Moor.

“We are hitting form and individually you can see the confidence and the decisions that we make are always positive, always forward,” the boss told Arsenal Media.

“And that’s really pleasing to see, and the team continues to have a desire to score and as well not to concede. 

“There was an action in the 98th minute, I think, everybody tracking back 60 metres. When a team is able to do that, we are alive.”

Back-to-back clean sheets have, as well as the goals, seen our goal difference to climb to the top of the league which could prove to be imperative.

The defensive side of our game hasn’t been in question this term, though we have been susceptible to giving the odd poor goal away – often due to an individual error.

Intense focus, even when in a commanding lead, points to a team completely in their groove just at the right time of the season.