Mikel Arteta has encouraged his arsenal to win the battle to complete the second this season, because he was insisted: “If you can't be the best, be the second best.”
The Gunners fell 15 points behind the Liverpool leaders in the Premier League title race after they have not won their last three games. Chelsea can close the gap on Arsenal to just three points with a victory in the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
And Arteta, whose side has completed second place in the last two seasons, warned: “They are contenders to finish second. I think from the moment I played pre-season and understood how Enzo works and the talent they have in the team, in my opinion they were contenders to even win it from the beginning because they have so much.
“I think they can compete with each team. How many teams are competing for the second? Many. There are still games to go. There are still a lot of variation, many games between us, many difficult games. There are still many teams involved.”
Asked why finishing second things as long as the Champions League football is secured, the Spaniard added: “That does. “I would rather be the first to finish than the second, second than third, third than fourth. And if you can't be the best, be the second best. That's for sure. “
Arteta said that the remaining games would also be important to assess what is needed for a different title challenge next season. “We are going to think really hard to understand 'okay what is missing, what really works and how we are going to take the next step,” he said.
Arsenal beat Chelsea 5-0 in this fixture last season.
“I think it will be a completely different game and I think the way they develop as a team is also very impressive,” added the Arsenal boss.
“What Enzo did and the coaching staff, the amount of talent they have in the team. So yes, a really tough match, but we are also our best, a big chance for us to win the game. “
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