Arteta - What we've learned since Chelsea defeat

It is less than a month since we last faced Chelsea in what was Mikel Arteta's second game in charge as our head coach.

The fixture at Emirates Stadium was a frustrating one as we took the lead only to concede two late goals to end up empty handed.

 

So what progress has Arteta seen in his squad since then?

 

"A lot of things have changed, a lot of positives that I am finding in terms of reactions and the things that they are taking on board," he said. "We have managed to change, a little bit, the energy and the atmosphere and the relationship and the chemistry with our fans, which was massively important for us.

 

"I loved the first 30 to 35 minutes [against Chelsea] and the way we went about it. How aggressive we were, how much we wanted to attack them and put them under pressure - it's the kind of way that we wanted to play.

 

"After that, we had a little bit of a setback. They changed the system and we found it a little bit more difficult to deal with that. We started to defend deep without really conceding anything, and had some great opportunities on the break as well. I think physically for us in that moment it was harder for us to maintain the same amount of energy. Against Chelsea, that's vital.

 

"It doesn't matter where we go, my ambition is to go anywhere and win playing our way," he added ahead of Tuesday's game. "We want to go with the same direction every time and with the same intention.

"It's very, very important for us to win this game to fight for that [top-four place]. Also, the game we played at home, it could have made a big difference and we were very close to it. Tomorrow we need to win."