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There is something different about Arsenal this season. It may be something to do with their squad upgrades. Or maybe players have just improved over the course of the off-season. Maybe it is Mikel Arteta's tactics.
Or, maybe it is a mix of everything, plus something intangible.
Arsenal are, at the moment, top of te Premier League table, top of the Champions League table, and also are the best defensive team in all of Europe. They have just conceded one goal in the Champions League. They have also just conceded just six in the Premier League.
They call Mikel Arteta's side a defensive team, but in reality, Arsenal have also scored the second most goals in the Premier League. They also have more open-play goals in November than Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool put together. I just felt like debunking some myths.
Arteta outlines Arsenal’s mindset before Chelsea clash with one telling detail
Anyway, back to the point. Arsenal are different. And the biggest difference between the side this season, to those of the last two years, is the mentality.
Arsenal seem to have learned a lot from those close-calls in the last few seasons, where they were close to winning the Premier League, but due to some reason or the other, they just were not able to.
Obviously, other factors have also helped a lot in that sense, but this is a huge factor, and it was outlined very well by Arteta in his press conference.
He did not say it outright, but one quote about facing Chelsea and beating Bayern and Tottenham showed a shift in their mindset this season.
He said: “After beating Spurs at home, then we had to make another statement against Bayern Munich, we’ve done that, and now we have to go to the next one.
“That’s where we are, we knew the importance of the week, not only that, but what is coming after three days is going to be exactly the same, nothing is going to change. We are super motivated for the game.
“It’s a big game, it’s a big London derby, we’re going to play a really good opponent, and they are in really good form. We know the challenge, we know the opportunity that we have as well on Sunday, so we are fully prepared for it.”
That one line there about it being the exact same thing even after this week. That is what matters. That is what turns great teams into champions.
Treating every game like a final is very important to being a successful side in the league, and Arteta would know far too well about it, especially after so many missed opportunities to win the league in previous seasons.
Even after Chelsea, their mentality should be the same. Treat every game like a top-of-the-table clash, and play as well as you can.