[ad_1]
The Gunners travel to their north London neighbors on Sunday eight points behind them in the Premier League
Mikel Arteta admits Tottenham have “done better” than Arsenal this season, but says his team will go to the North London derby on Sunday determined to bridge the gap with their neighbors.
Spurs have lost A’s once in the league this season and are currently at the top of the table, while Arsenal, who have lost five of their first 10 games, languish in 14th place.
But Arteta’s team’s victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday will see the Gunners move within five points of José Mourinho’s team and Arteta insists that’s all he’s focused on.
“The table is like that because they deserve it more than us and they have done it better than us,” said the Spaniard.
“At certain times in certain games, they’ve done it and they’ve gotten it. We have to accept that. But we want to go there and make that gap three points smaller.
“I think it is too early in the season to see who are title contenders or not, but what can be said is that they are in the position they are in because they are doing things the right way.
“They are in a great moment, they are full of confidence and you can see how much faith they have in what they do.
“When they have moments of difficulty, they stick to the plan and believe that they will get the result at some point and at this moment it is happening to them.
“They have done very well and that is why they are where they are.”
Arteta added: “What we have to look at is where we will be after 38 games in the league. Now what will happen after Sunday.
“We enter the game to win and this is the only way we are going to prepare for any game on any field. Have the confidence and the conviction that we can go there and win the football game. “
Sunday’s derby in North London will be the first time that fans will be inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since football was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Spurs will be cheered by 2,000 fans, just like Arsenal when they hosted Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Fueled by their support at home, Arteta’s team ran out of winners 4-1 and the Gunners coach admitted after the game that the fans had made a difference.
But despite that, he is not concerned about the advantage Tottenham could gain this weekend, insisting that getting fans back to the stadium is good for the game.
“A derby without fans is not the same,” he said. “There are certain things that fans produce. The momentum that they are able to give throughout the game and without them is not the same.
“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time and I am not going to complain. Honestly, I prefer to play in a stadium with an atmosphere, with some fans and at this moment it will be for them with their fans and next week it will be us.
“I do not know what is going to happen. What I can control is our players, what we do and what mentality we have and what mentality we bring to White Hart Lane.
“These types of objectives, we must try to achieve them in the best possible way because we cannot control what kind of reaction they will have towards their team depending on what is happening in the game. It depends on them. We will do our best.”
