Arteta to "use the telescope, not the microscope"

The competitive and quick-changing nature of the Premier League was perfectly illustrated over Christmas and New Year, as we slipped from top to fourth in the space of just a few days.

But Mikel Arteta is keen to keep a measure of perspective when it comes to analysing our last couple of results. We were top of the table on December 25 – the second year in a row we’ve been Christmas number one – but defeats to West Ham United and Fulham saw us drop to fourth place for the turn of the year.

The team will be looking to bounce back this weekend when attention turns to the Emirates FA Cup, and Liverpool come calling. Talking in his pre-match press conference, Mikel conceded that those back-to-back defeats in the Premier League stalled our progress, but was also eager to look at the bigger picture.

“It affects the momentum that we had,” be admitted. “Until Christmas Day we were top of the league, six days later, we are fourth. So you can be very tempted to look at things with a microscope, or else take a telescope and look a little bit further and have things with a little bit more perspective.

“My job, big time, is to look through the telescope and have perspective and analyse things in the broader way and not get affected by one performance. Not even the result, one performance.”

Going into our third-round clash with top-of-the-table Liverpool – our second meeting with the Reds in the space of two weeks – Mikel also called upon the Emirates faithful to create a huge atmosphere inside the stadium.

“We are really happy with the atmosphere that we’ve created at the Emirates,” he said. “It’s been incredibly supportive. Can we tweak it and sometimes make it even more hostile? I think we can and that’s the next step in my opinion.

“We have to be so grateful for what we are achieving and creating in our home ground and Sunday is going to be a good one again.”

He added it was also down to his players to help improve the atmosphere for home matches.

“The team has to give more. The team has to transmit that fight, aggression, intimidation and dominance to the opponent. Certain games this season, especially Champions League games, are going to create that next step, that’s my opinion.”