Arteta not surprised by Arsenal's 6-0 win

According to coach Mikel Arteta, the 6-0 victory at West Ham in round 24 will give Arsenal more motivation in the race for the Premier League title.

Visiting West Ham, Arsenal were without Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber, Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira due to injury. Despite not having their strongest squad, the Gunners still won brilliantly thanks to William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and a double from Bukayo Saka.

After the match, when asked if this result showed the quality of the team, especially when many key players were missing, Arteta replied: "Yes, but I am not surprised by the way they train every day. Arsenal are missing many players who can start, but in the end, the players need to have the ability and the opportunity to be evaluated. Surely, this match we can evaluate them and say how good they are."

Coach Arteta (center) and Arsenal players applaud the audience after the 6-0 win over West Ham in round 24 of the Premier League. Photo: AP

The 6-0 result was Arsenal's biggest away win in Premier League history, and West Ham's biggest home defeat in the competition. It was also Arsenal's biggest win of the season and the second-biggest margin of victory in the Premier League, behind Newcastle's 8-0 win over Sheffield United on 24 September 2023.

Arteta was pleased with Arsenal's sharp finishing, taking advantage of opportunities to level the score at 52 points and a goal difference of +31 with Man City. "Every week we are not satisfied, we want to learn and become better," the Spaniard said. "After the win against Liverpool, we have to show that the team is capable of repeating that level or even better. And that's how we have been training all week."

Arsenal continued to be dangerous from set pieces, with Rice twice setting up Saliba and Gabriel for goals. With 16 goals, the Gunners have scored more from set pieces than any other Premier League club this season, excluding penalties. "Set pieces are one of Rice's responsibilities," said Arteta. "Arsenal have a lot of good aerial players, and Rice can be a threat from outside the box more than inside it."

On the three-horse race with Man City and Liverpool, the 41-year-old coach said: "We are building momentum, really strong performances and results in recent weeks. We need to maintain that performance because other clubs are doing it too. Arsenal are not the only ones and we need to realise that."

On February 17, Arteta and his team will continue to visit Burnley in round 25 of the Premier League and then travel to Porto's home field to play the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on February 21.

Hong Duy

Source link