Mikel Arteta has urged leaders Arsenal to pick up where they left off by winning their first Premier League title since 2004 when English football’s top flight resumes after the World Cup hiatus. The Gunners were in great form, with 12 wins from 14 games, as the competition was paused in an unprecedented fashion to host the first World Cup to be held in a northern hemisphere winter in Qatar. All season fans and pundits have debated whether the break will help or hinder clubs’ ambitions, with Arsenal now without Gabriel Jesus after being sent home early from the World Cup with a knee problem suffered in Brazil’s shock defeat. by Cameroon.
However, Arteta was in high spirits ahead of his side’s return to Premier League action against London rivals West Ham at the Emirates on Monday.
“You know, I want the team to play a certain way, and the more consistent we are with that, the more we’re going to win,” he told Sky Sports.
“There’s excitement, and we should be excited and we should be embracing the opportunity that’s in front of us.”
Arsenal are currently five points ahead of reigning champions Manchester City.
City will be the last of the title contenders to see action over Boxing Day, when they travel to struggling Leeds on Wednesday.
Saudi-backed Newcastle, riding high in third place, is away to Leicester on Monday.
The Magpies last won a major domestic trophy in 1955 and the North East club’s desire to end that drought, Howe used all five of his players who had been in Qatar in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Premier League rivals Bournemouth who secured a place in the last eight of the League Cup.
Champions League qualification also remains a real possibility, with Tottenham and Manchester United, fourth and fifth respectively, close behind Newcastle.
‘World Class’ Kane
United, given their stature, are perhaps under the most pressure to finish in the top four, although manager Erik ten Hag said: “I also think for the manager of Chelsea (Graham Potter), of Newcastle (Eddie Howe), all those clubs invest a lot in their selection. So for any manager it is a lot of pressure to get into the Champions League, that is clear.”
Tottenham travel to Brentford with manager Antonio Conte, confident Harry Kane will have put his World Cup heartbreak behind him.
Kane’s missed penalty late against Spurs teammate Hugo Lloris was a key moment in England’s 2-1 defeat to France in the quarter-final.
“No, honestly (I’m not worried) because we’re talking about a world-class striker,” said Conte.
Liverpool will try to kickstart their season again at Aston Villa on Monday.
At the bottom of the table, the Wolves begin their quest for top flight survival under new manager Julen Lopetegui as the former Spain and Real Madrid coach, who oversaw a midweek League Cup win over Gillingham, makes his Premier League debut at Everton.
“For me, the only goal at the front is the next game,” said Lopetegui, who replaced the fired Bruno Lage.
Fulham’s game against Crystal Palace on Monday will be their first game since the death of big club and England’s 1966 World Cup winner George Cohen at the age of 83.
Premier League chiefs announced there will be a moment of applause for all top games between Boxing Day and December 28 in honor of Cohen, with all players and officials wearing black armbands as a mark of respect.
Fixtures (1500 GMT unless otherwise stated)
Monday: Arsenal v West Ham (2000 GMT), Aston Villa v Liverpool (1730 GMT), Brentford v Tottenham (1230 GMT), Crystal Palace v Fulham, Everton v Wolves, Leicester v Newcastle, Southampton v Brighton
Tuesday: Chelsea v Bournemouth (1730 GMT), Manchester United v Nottingham Forest (2000 GMT)
Wednesday: Leeds v Manchester City (2000 GMT)
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Featured video of the day
IPL auction 2023: Sam Curran becomes top buy as teams splash the cash
Topics mentioned in this article