Mikel Arteta believes Aston Villa can be considered Premier League title contenders ahead of their big clash against Arsenal on Saturday.
Arsenal have the chance to move eight points clear at the top of the table when they travel to Villa Park but face one of the trickiest tests of the season so far.
After a poor start to the campaign, Unai Emery’s side look more like their old self, winning seven of the last eight games across all competitions.
This includes a 1-0 victory over Manchester City and Wednesday night’s 4-3 comeback win at Brighton, a result that has lifted the Villans to third in the table.
After 14 games, many believe the title race is between Arsenal, City and Chelsea, but Villa have quietly moved to within just six points of the Gunners, and are only a point behind the Citizens.
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Asked in his pre-match press conference if he thought Villa were title challengers, Arteta replied: ‘Well, if they continue where they are already, so if they continue what they’ve been doing, I think any club, any team in that position has chances for sure.
‘For what they’ve been doing, the way they’ve been playing and winning matches, certainly it’s a team that is in great form and we know that.
‘We know obviously the manager and the incredible job he’s done there as well, so we know the task tomorrow, but we always take it as an opportunity.
‘Every time you win a game, obviously, you are a little bit closer to your objective, and it’s the only thing that we can do. We have to focus on performing, preparing really well for tomorrow, we know the kind of game that we’re going to play and be ready for it to fulfil our potential.’
Emery has worked wonders since replacing Steven Gerrard in the Villa dugout in 2022, consistently qualifying the club for Europe and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
Are Aston Villa title contenders?
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Yes
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No
It has proven to be somewhat of a redemption arc for the Spanish manager who was sacked by Arsenal in 2019, just 18 months after being given the unenviable job of replacing club legend Arsene Wenger.
Arteta, who replaced Emery at the Emirates, said he wasn’t sure if this fixture provided ‘extra motivation’ for his predecessor.
‘I think when you look at Unai, his career, his motivation level, everywhere he’s had an impact, it’s all been remarkable,’ he added.
‘So I don’t know, that’s a question for him. But in my opinion, he never needs anything extra. I think he’s good enough in himself.’
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