Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must regain their composure to beat Chelsea and return to the top of the table tonight, and then take advantage of any slip-ups from Manchester City.
The Gunners have drawn three and lost one of their last four matches, throwing away two-goal leads at Liverpool and West Ham United, and dropping to second in the table having played a match more than title rivals Man City.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +61 | 89 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +45 | 84 |
“Composure is a lot of the time related to moments, and moments can change whether you use composure or you lose it and you cannot cope with the pressure,” Arteta told the club's official website.
“We have had very important moments where we have nailed that moment and it has given us three points, and other moments like at West Ham [where at 2-0] the game is over, or when you are at Anfield, or when you are at home and you concede the goals that we have conceded. But this is football.
“The key moments are what define at the end whether you win or not, and in the last week we have missed that piece.”
Chelsea are winless in six Premier League matches, losing four of those, but Arteta still believes Arsenal will have to be at their best to defeat their London rivals.
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“It is going to be a very different game,” he added. “It is a London derby and they have something to prove, and we have something to prove.
“I don’t know what their approach will be. They are really dangerous because when you look at the individuals that they can put on that field, for sure they have huge threats so we need to be aware of that.”
Arteta still believes there could be twists in the title race. Asked what gives him hope that City will slip up in their remaining six matches, he said: "How tough it is to win every single game.
"It’s not something I saw last week, it’s what I have seen for nine months, otherwise they would have won every Premier League game and they haven’t."