Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal are not taking encouragement from the stuttering form of title rivals Manchester City.
Arsenal are top of the Premier League table, having overhauled the champions in recent weeks. Manchester City conceded a late goal to draw at home to Tottenham on Sunday, the club’s third consecutive Premier League draw.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have won five straight games in all competitions after a 2-1 win over Wolves at the weekend.
Despite City’s recent results, Arteta insists his team are focused only on themselves ahead of Tuesday’s trip to take on Luton.
“Encouragement? No. Encouragement comes from watching my team play and watching how they behave every single day, how hungry and willing they are to play every single game, the way they approach every single training session,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference.
“That’s what gives me encouragement. What the others do is something we cannot control.”
Arsenal can move five points clear of Liverpool, and six ahead of City, with a win on Tuesday, but Arteta said his team will not be getting carried away in the ‘marathon’ of the Premier League campaign.
“I don’t think about that, I think about how we’re going to play better tomorrow and be more consistent and more difficult to beat. The things that have to tweak and how we can use our players in the best possible way to win. It’s still a huge marathon ahead of us.”
Speaking on Luton, Arteta said he believes The Hatters have not received the results their performances deserve this season.
“I think they are a really good team and probably the table does not reflect what they have done in many games. The way they have lost games or drew games as well in five minutes during the final stages of games. As I say, it probably doesn’t reflect that, but it’s a difficult game, that’s for sure.”
