Mikel Arteta on stopping particular Leeds United threat and Arsenal 'lift' for Elland Road visit
A particular Leeds United threat is on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s radar.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has outlined his side’s best of course of action to deal with a particular Leeds United threat, buoyed by a Gunners lift ahead of Saturday’s clash at Elland Road.
Premier League title favourites Arsenal and newly-promoted Leeds will lock horns for the second time this season in Saturday afternoon’s 3pm kick-off at LS11, five months on from United’s 5-0 defeat at the Emirates in the second game of the season.
Twenty one games later, Arteta’s men sit four points clear at the top of the table, the Gunners 24 points ahead of fifth-bottom Leeds who themselves have lost just one of their last ten.
The Whites, though, and the Gunners both take very rank in the goals scored from set pieces table, Arteta calling on his side to “defend for their lives” against the particular Whites threat from free-kicks, long throws throws and corners in Saturday’s clash at Elland Road.
“It's just to defend with your lives”
Speaking at Friday’s pre-match press conference and as quoted by Arsenal’s official website, Arteta was asked how his side could nullify the threat of Leeds at set pieces.
Arteta reasoned: “First of all, understanding what they do. Conceding very little, that's the best way for sure and if we do concede, it's just to defend with your lives and good organisation to try to prevent that from happening.”
Arteta’s side remain hot favourites to win the Premier League title, despite the big blow of a rare 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United in last weekend’s clash at the Emirates.
Arsenal, though, quickly resumed winning ways with Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory in the Champions League at home to Kairat Almaty which completed a brilliant eight wins out of eight in the competition’s league phase.
“The position that we are is very difficult to find”
Asked how much of a lift the midweek win had provided ahead of Saturday’s trip to Elland Road, Arteta said: “It’s just understanding where you are.
“Certainly when you lose a game, you have a lot of feelings because especially the group of players are so competitive and they seek for excellence and when you don’t reach it, you ask yourself questions and we did that.
“But I think my role is to bring optimism and reality of where we are.
“Our club has a long, long history and to find a moment when in February, we’re in the position that we are is very difficult to find.
“So we are doing so many things so well and let’s focus mainly on that. For sure we want to improve, we want to be better in every area, but with that sense of self-confidence and conviction that we are on the right path.”