Mikel Arteta don urge im Arsenal boys to seize di chance against Burnley for Monday Night Football and move one step closer to finalising di business of winning major silverware. A win over di relegated Clarets for Emirates Stadium go put Arsenal five points clear for top of Premier League, meaning dem go be champions if Manchester City fail to beat Bournemouth for Tuesday.
Di Gunners dey aim to end 22-year wait for Premier League glory after three consecutive second-placed finishes. Arteta say dem dey driven on by di pain of those near-misses. ‘When you see di trajectory and wetin we don build for di last few years, and especially for di last four years for terms of consistency, di amount of points and wins, we for don get some big trophies already,’ di Arsenal manager tell Sky Sports.
‘Dat only happen for dis league, but dat dey drive you to be even better. So, we still get to make dat step of finalising di business and dat be di opportunity we get for di next three days.’ Arteta add say e don be collective effort, following im appointment for 2019, to get Arsenal to dis point.
‘Dere be so many people wey dey contribute daily to create and to build wetin for our eyes be di best path and di best way to do am,’ e yarn. ‘And den you get to earn am day by day, adapt to di circumstances, mould am, change am, and when di ownership show di ambition wey dem get, when our supporters show di ambition wey dem get, when di team, di players, all di staff show di ambition wey dem get, at di end e go come.’
‘Plenty tins get to dey aligned because di level be extraordinary here for Premier League, but we dey closer now.’ Di Arsenal boss, wey go into Monday game need to find solution at right-back after Ben White join Jurrien Timber for sidelines due to injury, use di words ‘resilience, ambition and adaptability’ to sum up im side campaign so far.
‘I tink part of challenging di big trophies, especially for dis country, be dey very adaptable and finding a way within di circumstances to remain very competitive and resilient,’ e add. ‘Di team don show dat for di last 10 months. Dere be three games to go now. Di only one wey matter now be Burnley and with di circumstances we get and certain injuries, how we go go out dere and be di best version of ourselves?’
Manchester City dey two points behind Arsenal but move level on goal difference with dia 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, something wey fit still play part for di final destination of di trophy. ‘Di only tin wey we get to do be earn di right to be better dan di opposition,’ Arteta tok. ‘Dat go lead to giving a big probability to win di game and den di rest fit come.’
Arteta bin get praise for di second-half changes wey allow Arsenal to beat West Ham after im first-half decision to move Declan Rice to right-back for di injured White backfire, and e say e go continue to follow im instincts on selection calls. ‘You get to put everything on di table first to make dat decision,’ e add. ‘Dere be plenty pieces. Den, di decision wey you make be for a period of time for di game, because maybe you go get to make a sub at 60 minutes wey already be planned because a player no fit play 90 minutes, and den you get to do am again.’
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