After seeing us fail to score against West Ham United in our last outing, Mikel Arteta has urged our players and supporters to remain calm ahead of our trip to Fulham.
A well-earned point earned at fellow title challengers Liverpool is all we have to show for our festive efforts so far after the disappointing home loss to the Hammers, and the boss is targeting a three-point haul at Craven Cottage to round off 2023 on a high.
We set a Premier League record for touches inside the box but no goals on Thursday night, but the boss looking at the positive side of that and feels a similar attacking display will almost certainly yield better results.
“It’s no panic, it’s about trying to do more, do better and win games,” Mikel said in his pre-Fulham press conference. “If the team plays like this, they are going to win lots of games.
“It’s a record [for touches in the box], so I don’t think there are many teams in the league that have done that for many years. That's something very positive I think.
“Without a spark, you don’t generate what the team generates [against West Ham], it’s impossible. But it’s the final thing, the final touch, the final action that puts the ball in the net or not, and that’s what we need.”
With the games coming thick and fast at this time of year, there have been plenty of surprise results throughout December, leaving the top of the table rather congested.
Just six points separate the top five teams, meaning we could end the year anywhere between first and fourth position, but at the halfway point of the campaign, Mikel is aware there are plenty of twists and turns to come in 2024.
Reflecting on the possibility of dropping to fourth, he added: “We can be second as well, and winning we can be first so we have to do what we can control.
“There’s no time to look at other teams. You see how difficult it is for other teams and it’s going to continue to be like that because the level of the league is incredible.”
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