Arsenal lead the way in the Premier League title race after yet another win saw them maintain their five point advantage over reigning champions Manchester City. Many people would not have expected the Gunners to mount a title challenge this season after their dismal end to the 2021/22 campaign.
The north Londoners missed out on qualifying for the Champions League on the final day of the season at the expense of their north London rivals Tottenham. Defeats to Spurs and Newcastle left many criticising Mikel Arteta and Arsenal with the Spaniard facing calls to be sacked by fans and pundits.
The Gunners stuck by Arteta heading into the 2022/23 campaign - a decision which has proven to be the correct one as Arsenal continue their Premier League title fight heading into the final 11 games of the season. The north Londoners could also end the season by winning the Europa League as they prepare to face Sporting CP in their round of 16 second-leg at the Emirates Stadium this week.
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Speaking to Sky Sports at the London Football Awards, Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar discussed the season so far, the title race and Arsenal's process. He said: “When we first started, we were talking a lot about our process, and people were making jokes sometimes about our process.
"I think we were quite clear about all of the steps that we went through. We knew we were going to go through some challenging periods because we had to make some important decisions, sometimes unpopular decisions, which is going to cause some instability.
“Importantly, we internally was quite together in terms of understanding the process. And then, we are where we are, I know there’s lots to do.
"I think we are in the middle of it [the process], there’s still a lot of things to do, and carry on doing, but also, we are very happy and proud to see where we are at the moment as a club.”
Gary Neville has already admitted that he thought Arsenal’s failure to finish in last season’s Premier League top four could have seen Arteta be sacked. "I’ve always had a respect for Arsenal as a football club," Neville told The Overlap.
"They’re one of the great traditional clubs in this country. However, the last few years has been a struggle. I remember at the end of last season, me and Jamie Carragher thought that it could be terminal for Mikel Arteta."
There has been a huge change in terms of the atmosphere in the Emirates Stadium and at the club this season. New signings have raised the performance level of Arteta's squad with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko proving to be crucial additions from Manchester City.
Edu admitted that he feels Arteta is doing a 'great job' with the squad and praised the club's staff for helping create the right mentality and spirit. “I think Mikel [Arteta] is, of course, doing a great job," Edu added.
"I think we as well, in terms of choosing the right players with that right mentality, with the right spirit as well, to be in the squad. We have fantastic staff around us, we always have to mention that because when we’re talking about the team, we need everyone to be really good to make the players perform.
“I think it’s unfair of us to judge on just one or two things because to perform the way we’re performing, it’s a lot of subjects to be there, to make us good, to make us feel good as well.
"But, as I said, there’s a lot of things to do, we want to keep the feet on the floor because we understand there are a lot of games ahead of us, but also, we have to enjoy our moment and be happy with what we are doing at the moment.”
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