Mikel Arteta outlines Arsenal’s areas for improvement in 2024, emphasizing the need to enhance their ability to “kill games” they dominate.
Following a hard-fought draw against Liverpool, Arsenal is set to top the Premier League table on Christmas Day for the second consecutive season, holding a one-point lead over both Liverpool and Aston Villa.
With last season’s disappointment of surrendering their lead to Manchester City in mind, Arteta and his team aim to surpass their second-place finish and maintain their current position at the league’s summit until the end of the campaign.
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Addressing the press on Arsenal’s improvement strategy, Arteta highlighted specific areas for development.
“There are some things we have to improve, especially killing games with the amount of dominance that we are showing,” said Arteta.
He expressed the need to avoid close results that necessitate defending in the final minutes. Despite challenges, Arteta commended the team’s ability to maintain performance even with key players sidelined for extended periods.
“Hopefully, we have sustained that level with five key players out because we lost five very, very important players for us for many, many months, and the team has still shown that. That is something we really have to maintain – the quality in the squad and how willing they are to do what they do every single day.”
Arteta also acknowledged Arsenal’s progress in the 2023/24 campaign, pointing to the “maturity” exhibited in the recent draw at Anfield.
“They’ve certainly got more experience, and it was a very different game to last year. What they did today, in this stadium, in this atmosphere that they created as well was something else. The maturity and the courage that we showed, I think we should be really proud of our players.”
Arsenal is scheduled to face West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, December 28.