Before our meeting with Newcastle United, Mikel Arteta heaped praise on his opposite number in the dugout on Tuesday night, Eddie Howe.
Having ended 2021 19th in the Premier League, a huge turnaround in fortunes now sees the Magpies sitting third in the table, and heading to north London unbeaten in their last 12 matches.
Arteta has been impressed with their transformation and believes it'll be a big test as we aim to maintain our 100 per cent record at Emirates Stadium so far this season.
"They are a very good team, really well coached," he said. "I think what Eddie has done in a short period of time and you look at the numbers it’s incredible, so big credit to him and the coaching staff. They have created a belief and momentum around the team that they play the same way against any opponents, so we will start to prepare for that game.
"It is going to be another big test, but we will play at home in front of our crowd, and I’m looking forward to it."
With us playing the day before Manchester City, we could move 10 points clear at the top of the table but the boss is trying to keep everyone grounded, as he aims to make us even better in the short-term.
On tempering expectations, he said: "It is not about trying to stop anybody [getting excited], it’s about being realistic about where we are.
"The way we are performing is impressive, and we are really happy with that, but we have set the bars and the objectives in the short-term, and what we want to improve and what is making us win this many football matches."
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