Mikel Arteta knows that being more clinical in front of goal is the secret to turning around our Premier League form.
Ahead of Sunday's clash against Burnley, our manager faced the media and discussed the game, Eddie Nketiah, the latest team news and more.
This is what he said:
on the latest team news…
Martinelli played his first 45 minutes for a long time [for the under-21s against AFC Wimbledon], he was good and he came through the game and felt really good. He has trained. David [Luiz], we will have to assess him today and tomorrow to see how he is feeling and whether his is able to compete or not. Thomas will be out for a few games. It is the same area where he got injured previously, he felt it again and we will have to see how long it is going to take to heal.
on the importance of a win against Burnley…
It is vital for us. We have been inconsistent in the competitions, a really good run in the Carabao Cup, a really good run in the Europa League, but unfortunately the results in the Premier League haven’t been what we want. We are very frustrated with that and we know how important it is to put those results together really quickly, because we need them straight away.
on the reasons for our Premier League form…
There have been a lot of games, especially the ones we have played at home, where small details have made a huge difference. But at the end of the day, we haven’t scored enough goals and without doing that, we cannot win enough football matches. It is as simple as that.
on Eddie Nketiah being our top scorer now…
Since we decided to keep Eddie at the club and not send him on loan [last January], the main reason was we saw his hunger and his ability to score goals consistently. He has been doing that since he has been with the first team, he is performing really well, last night [against Dundalk] he was a threat all the time and he has chances, like everyone else, to start the game on Sunday.
on Burnley's recent record against us giving us confidence...
The confidence is that the team has to perform and that they have the mindset to go and win the game. We know the urgency we have to get results and the stats, in my opinion in this moment, are not very relevant.
on what threat Burnley pose to Arsenal...
They are a really organised team. They are a constant threat because they are really direct but they play that game really, really well. They manage their first, second and third phases really well, the way they attack the box, set-pieces are key against them as well. They are difficult to break down because they have been working together with the same manager for a long time, and they know each other really well. They are disciplined and they have a good spirit and character among the team. They are always ready to fight and make it difficult for you.
on what he wants to see from our players that he hasn't seen in the past few games...
Obviously creativity is linked to the chances that you are able to create in different positions around the box or the final third. We are working in different aspects that we have to improve certainly. The profile of the player depends on where they play as well and that brings you one thing or another. Depending on how they play, we will try to expose certain areas.
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