CESC FABREGAS has revealed the motivational tactic helping to inspire Arsenal’s title challenge.
The Gunners grabbed a priceless 3-2 victory over Manchester United on Sunday to stay five points clear of City at the top of the Premier League.
Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas was at the match on punditry duty for Sky Sports.
And during the show, he revealed how everything has changed at London Colney since his 2011 departure… thanks to Mikel Arteta.
Fabregas, 35, said: “I was lucky enough to be at the training ground recently and it felt like I’d never been there before because everything had changed so much.
“The manager of the training ground told me that it’s 95 per cent Mikel who has changed the whole thing.”
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Asked to delve deeper into what exactly had changed, Fabregas added: “Everything.
“The perception of the club in the last few years, a lot of positive messages around the training ground, much bigger facilities, better equipment, pitches, everything you name it.
“I think as well at the entrance they have this symbol of a Premier League where it’s an empty Premier League and he wants to kind of show the message that, ‘Guys, we need to just put it in there’.
“So every day the players they go there, they see the Premier League but only being the symbol, so it’s like a message or inspiration every day to go there and prove that you really want to put the Premier League [trophy] in there.
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“So I think he’s changed the mentality of the club since Arsene [Wenger] left and it’s fantastic what he’s done.”
Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko bullishly declared that no one is “laughing” at his side’s title ambitions now.
But Fabregas’ Sky colleague Gary Neville STILL doesn’t think the Gunners will get it over the line.
The 47-year-old said: “I don’t see them going on to win the league.
“I think Manchester City will win the league because I just think that what they’ve got in them is a special run, Manchester City.
“I think that at a point in the season Arsenal will lose one or two matches and City will be right on their shoulders and it will become very difficult for them.”
The Gunners are now five points ahead of City with a game in hand.
They will meet Pep Guardiola’s side twice in the Prem between now and the end of the season, as well as in the FA Cup this Friday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
