MIKEL ARTETA’S Arsenal finally caught a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel with a vital victory away to Chelsea.
A huge transfer market overhaul may be the focus at the Emirates but Wednesday’s win underlined the necessities for a successful new season.
Namely, the Gunners showed fight and heart to hold onto a win, Arteta got his tactics right, and there is finally a sense of momentum to build on.
Europa League qualification is out of their hands but Arsenal fans can still dream of an exciting end to the season.
Of course, they may not lose much sleep over whether they reach the inaugural Europa Conference League but seventh place is one hell of a building block given this team’s problems.
Arsenal need two from the four of West Ham, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton to fall away.
The Hammers don’t play anyone above 14th while Everton and Liverpool both boast two games in hand on Arteta’s men, even if Jurgen Klopp has to contend with a Manchester United side that will actually be trying on Thursday.
Gooners may be hopeful of Tottenham bottling it with Wolves, Aston Villa and Leicester a tough finish, but that alone would not be enough.
Furthermore, Arsenal face two bogey sides in Crystal Palace and Brighton, who have combined to lose to the capital club only once in their last 11 meetings.
Regardless of the final table, beating these two would inject further momentum than can be carried into the summer and a potentially less-hectic 2021-22.
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And that is what Arteta must chase because this team needs to learn how to see out matches, how to tactically match a good opponent, and how to believe in themselves – exactly like they did against Chelsea.
The Blues, with a rotated line-up and directionless in attack, were fairly average and the goal came via a mistake.
But Arsenal can only play the cards they are dealt and, with Arteta’s five-man backline and a spirited performance from front to back, reminded themselves how to win ugly like the best sides do on a regularly basis.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
