Mikel Arteta says he can see no clear favourite emerging for the Premier League as he pointed to small margins that have seen Arsenal slip way behind leaders Liverpool. The Reds are now 10 points clear of one of their main rivals for the title.
The Gunners’ meeting with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today (4.30pn kick-off) has taken on added importance following a run of one point from three games.
Consecutive away defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle United have been part of an alarming drop-off in form leaving Arsenal outside of the top four ahead of facing Enzo Maresca’s in-form side and now 10 points behind Liverpool after their 2-0 win at home to Aston Villa last night.
That was Villa’s fourth defeat in a run in all competitions. City, meanwhile, are on the same streak following their 2-1 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion.
“I don’t see teams (in the Premier League) that are that superior to their rivals,” Gunners boss Arteta said. “There’s a team that has been consistent in terms of their results, that’s been Liverpool and you can see the numbers they’ve won. But the margins are much smaller.
“Winning is the best formula for everything; for energy, belief, confidence, for the noise inside and outside, to create momentum and positive surroundings.
“It helps for everything, even if you don’t deserve it.”
Arsenal lost 1-0 at Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek and the trio of recent defeats has cast doubt on their ability to challenge both in Europe and domestically as they seek to end a 21-year wait for the title.
The Gunners failed to score in each of them, and the losses at San Siro and St James’ Park were notable in that Arteta did not call upon Raheem Sterling from the bench when his side were in need of a goal.
The Chelsea loanee has made a limited impact since arriving on a year-long deal on transfer deadline day with the sense growing that the 29-year-old is running out of time to revive his waning career.
Asked why Sterling was left on the bench against Newcastle and Inter, Arteta said: “That’s a decision of mine, nothing to do with Raz. If somebody got it wrong it was me.
“It’s the feeling that you have, an understanding of how you can damage the opponent and picking a different player and profile for that moment.”
Declan Rice is a doubt for Arsenal for the game at Stamford Bridge after the midfielder broke his toe against Newcastle while Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz are late fitness tests.
However, captain Martin Odegaard is in contention to make his first start since September after returning as a late substitute in Milan following a long spell out with an ankle injury.
“We’ve been used to playing every three days, every two and a half days, it’s been extremely demanding,” said Arteta of the team’s injury troubles.
“We have coped with that, with a lot injuries on top of that. We’re doing everything that we possibly can.
“We have better resources, we have players that are used to it and that have done it before. Now we have many players that can cope with that better, and if injuries respect us we are well equipped to manage that.”
