Mikel Arteta & Arsenal
Mikel Arteta is now in the midst of his third season at Arsenal.
Granted, he did take over midway through 2019/20 following Unai Emery’s sacking, but the Spaniard still only guided the Gunners to an 8th place finish that term.
2020/21 would then by Arteta’s first full season at the helm, and with big signings such as Thomas Partey and Gabriel, fans were likely expecting a bit more from their side.
However, the north Londoners were once again forced to settle for 8th place last campaign.
This summer has since once again seen Arsenal fairly active in the market, addressing some problem areas and adding youth to the side.
But, though we are only six weeks into the season, Arsenal reclaiming a top-six spot this term does already seem quite unlikely.
How Arsenal can close gap on big six
Arsenal began 2021/22 by losing three in a row in the PL, and though their form has now picked up, can they really compete with the top six sides?
Arsenal do look to have recruited well in the summer, but so did all of the teams already ahead of them.
Even Leicester City and West Ham, the two sides most likely to be knocked out of the top six by Arsenal, spent pretty well over the summer.
So, how can Arsenal reclaim a spot in the Europa League or Champions League?
Mikel Arteta was posed a similar question recently, being asked how his side close the gap to the big six when other teams already ahead of Arsenal are making improvements, to which the Spaniard responded:
“Well first of all understanding what the context is. So where the rivals are, what they’ve done to achieve what they’ve done and what we have to do to get there. And then just focusing on your process and what you can control because the rest is out of your hands.
“But you have to be realistic that if the gap is this big, there are things that have to be there to (reduce) this gap. There is not any other possibility because we don’t expect anybody to bring the level down. I think the opposite. I think they will try to increase the level even more.”
Quotes via football.london.
Leicester City vs Burnley betting tips: Preview, predictions & odds
Brentford vs Liverpool betting tips: Preview, predictions & odds
Arsenal betting odds, next game:
Arsenal vs Tottenham odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
Arsenal’s latest videos
Getting set for the north London derby! | Behind the scenes at Arsenal training centre
Head behind the scenes as the squad prepares for the north London derby at…
2021-09-24T17:36:46Z
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang x Autoparts | Arsenal Supporting Supporters
Our biggest home game of the season, against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, will be…
2021-09-23T12:13:58Z
Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 5 | 9 | 13 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | -3 | 9 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Watford FC | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 5 | -3 | 6 |
| 13 | Arsenal FC | 5 | -7 | 6 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 5 | -3 | 5 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 | -3 | 3 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 5 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 5 | -7 | 2 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 5 | -6 | 1 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 5 | -12 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 2 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Struijk, Pascal | Leeds United | 1 | 1 |
| Tanganga, Japhet | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Barnes, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward, Joel | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Stephens, Jack | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
