Difficult For Arsenal Waiting For Liverpool To Slip

Arsenal need to consistently win while waiting for Liverpool to fall (Instagram/@arsenal).

JAKARTA - Mikel Arteta said Arsenal must be like a hammer to hunt Liverpool in the race for the 2024/2025 Premier League title.

Arsenal have succeeded in displacing Nottingham Forest in second place in the standings after winning the away match against Brentford 3-1 on Thursday, January 2, 2024, early morning WIB.

Now, the Gunners are six points away from leaders Liverpool.

Arne Slot's side have only lost one league game this season, the lowest number of defeats. Meanwhile, Arsenal followed with two defeats.

"I don't know (how difficult it is to chase Liverpool) and it doesn't depend on us."

"We have to keep being like a hammer, being there every day, every day. If a club wins all the games, congratulate and advance to the next season."

"If they don't win, which in history hasn't happened yet, then we'll be there (the top of the standings)," said Mikel Arteta.

Apart from that, Bukayo Saka's hamstring injury - which is expected to see him absent until March 2025 after surgery - has created an opportunity for Leandro Trossard to make an impact.

However, it turned out that Arsenal proved that they could compete with good performance without Saka's presence.

Two games for the Gunners have won without Saka, against Ipswich Town (1-0) and the latest against Brentford (3-1).

Peace is the key to Arsenal's success playing with the available squad, in addition to the mentality to never give up when things fell behind.

The match against Brentford is proof of which they are turning things around. It's just that, regarding the selection of players, it turns out that Arteta trusts young players Ethan Nwaneri more than Leandro Trossard.

Arteta hopes that the senior Belgian player can return to his best performance in order to give birth to many options in the midst of a storm of injury to the pillar player.

"He (Trossard) is a very good character. They all want to play, always want to play.

"Leo has shown much better consistency in the last 12 months, he deserves it."

"He faces many competitors in his position. That's all. Increase the level. If he plays at that level, he will play like any other player."

"He has the capacity to do something special in the final third of the pitch."

"Leo really likes to complain a little, but I like it because he's very competitive. You have training sessions, he's always busy with referee decisions because he wants to win. That's what I love."

"He always wanted to be the best. When he wasn't there, he wasn't happy. However, that was what pushed him."

"That's where he plays, he can have an impact because he has that boost," said Arteta of the Belgian National Team players, who have just started 11 games this season.

Leandro Trossard was only added in the 78th minute at Brentford headquarters, replacing Nwaneri, who turned out to be slick.