Mikel Arteta reveals how revenge will fuel Arsenal against Southampton
Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal side are determined to put recent slip-ups behind them as their Premier League title battle with Manchester City approaches its conclusion.
Recent draws to Liverpool and West Ham have seen the Gunners' lead at the top of the table shrink to four points, though they can go seven points clear having played two games more if they beat Southampton on Friday night.
Arteta says those tricky results at Anfield and London Stadium have stoked an appetite for 'revenge' in his squad ahead a crucial run of games.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, he said: “I see a sense of revenge and determination to get it even better and that it’s not enough and you have to tweak it and demand more and more of each other.
“We have to be perfectionists, but at the same time we have to play with that flow.
“We are really good when we play with that energy and flow and don’t be thinking about the results. That’s the last thing that we have to do.
“If anything this week I’ve had to stop them because they want it more and more, so let’s leave it for tomorrow because that’s the day we have to show it.
Read the latest Arsenal news here
feed
“The way they talked, the way they communicated in the meetings we had [showed how the players are motivated by a sense of revenge and determination].
“The discussions are to understand how we move forward after that. It was all the right answers – they were very clear on what we want, how we’re going to do it and why it’s taken us all the way here. That’s what we have to continue.”
Arsenal will hope to secure three points against a Southampton side rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table. They'll still be without William Saliba in defence, with Rob Holding to continue deputising.
The all-important clash with City - who face Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi finals this weekend - comes next Wednesday.
LISTEN NOW
On this edition of The Chronicles of a Gooner, part of the 90min podcast network, Harry Symeou discusses the recent links to Southampton's Romeo Lavia, the latest on William Saliba's fitness. If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!