In a subdued encounter, Mikel Merino’s first-half header secured a 1-0 victory for Arsenal against Chelsea on Sunday. ..Continue Reading
Chelsea struggled to create meaningful opportunities, feeling the effects of missing key players like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Noni Madueke.
Even with Chelsea’s lackluster performance, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta still labeled the Blues as the league’s “best attacking team.”
‘I’m very happy, obviously, with the result and with big parts of the performance,’ Arteta said after Arsenal cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the league table to 12 points.
‘We had a lot of chances and then we concede almost nothing apart from a strange save from David [Raya].
‘That’s huge credit to the team because in my opinion Chelsea are the best attacking team in the league.’
When asked to clarify his strange claim, Arteta added: ‘In open play, yes. By a mile. The stats say it and everything that I’ve seen says it.
‘They can open you up, they have individual quality, they can go in behind, they go from both sides and they are missing some big players. I have a lot of data and I see how they play.’
Chelsea currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League, trailing second-placed Arsenal by nine points and league leaders Liverpool by 21 points.
Under Enzo Maresca, the team has netted 53 goals this season, matching Arsenal’s tally but falling short of the totals recorded by Manchester City and Liverpool.
Reflecting on his views, Mikel Arteta was questioned about whether he anticipates Chelsea being a dominant force in the league next season.
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Having the injuries has not helped them but the manager is really good and the squad and the players, the quality is there.’
Turning his attentions back to his own team, Arteta said: ‘We should have done much more but we are very happy and it was an important game.
‘We play a top opponent and the team played with an unbelievable spirit and now we go to the international break.
‘The only thing we can do is try to win our matches. If we do, we are in a better position.’
On the performance of Merino, the Gunners boss said: ‘We have had top players out for many many months. Our team has an incredible resilience.
‘Mikel really wants to do well, he has never played that position before but he is scoring goals. He is a really dangerous player in the box and he can help us.’
