After seeing us dismantle Lens 6-0 on Wednesday night, Mikel Arteta feels his team is still from the finished product as he continues to evolve our playing style.
We raced into a five-goal lead at half-time in our Champions League clash against the French side with a devastating attacking display, having found a different way to win against Brentford last weekend in very different circumstances as we dug deep to snatch a late winner.
And while Mikel is happy that his side has shown multiple ways to come out on top in matches so far this campaign, he is adamant that there is still so much more potential within our ranks to make results such as that recorded on Wednesday more commonplace.
“I think there are more levels to come, I hope so,” Mikel said in his pre-Wolves press conference. “We have to continue to do a lot of the things we are doing well in games to earn the right to win, but I think we can still improve and be more consistent.
“[Tomorrow’s game] will be different, it won’t be the same, and we cannot expect the same. This team is going to be different to last season and hopefully very different to next season, and that’s part of the evolution.
“By leaving some things in the past to [make way for] the new things, it’s a transition. We want to still be competitive and win matches and I think the team is competing really well.”
The opportunity to move four points clear at the top of the league is within our grasp going into the meeting with the Molineux side, but it is a task Mikel is not taking lightly despite Wolves sitting 12th in the table.
Our boss is full of respect for his opposite number Gary O’Neil who despite being installed as Wolves boss just days before the start of the season has won plenty of praise for the way his team have performed this season, and so Mikel’s mind is focused on the game itself, rather than the consequences of a potential victory from it.
“We can control what we can do,” he added. “I’ve learnt that ‘ifs’ in this league are not a very positive thing to have in mind. We are very hungry to play in front of our crowd tomorrow and win the game. That’s what we are going to try to do.
“[Wolves] have a lot of quality. It’s not a coincidence, what they are doing. They perform really well, especially against the top sides. That speaks highly about the quality of the coaching staff.
“What Gary is doing, the way they prepare and control opponents, especially when they play at home. We’re going to have to try to break them down tomorrow.”
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