Mikel Arteta confirmed he remains optimistic even though Arsenal have not won in three consecutive Premier League matches and are now just four points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa.
On 31 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, stated that the team must keep a positive outlook and trust their path, despite recent Premier League setbacks with no wins in three games and the gap to Manchester City and Aston Villa narrowing to four points ahead of their away match against Leeds United tonight at 22:00 GMT+7.
The "Gunners" recently suffered a 2-3 home defeat to Manchester United, following goalless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, earning only 2 points from their last 3 matches and marking their first home loss of the season.
However, Arsenal regained confidence in Europe by beating Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League midweek, achieving a perfect record of 8 wins in the group stage.
When asked about the significance of their European win after the disappointment of losing to Manchester United, Arteta said:
"Of course, when you lose a game, the feelings are mixed because all our players are highly competitive and strive for perfection."
"When we fall short, we must question ourselves, and we have done so. My role is to bring back optimism and realism about where we stand."
The Spanish coach also emphasized that focusing on the team's strengths is crucial at this time.
"We have done many things very well, and we should focus mainly on those positives."
"Certainly, we need to improve in every area, along with confidence that we are on the right path."
Arsenal is chasing its first Premier League title since 2004, having finished as runners-up for three consecutive seasons.
Meanwhile, the renowned statistics agency Opta still gives the "Gunners" an 81 percent chance of winning the title, but if this weekend's results don't go their way, the points gap could shrink to just one.
Tonight's away game at Leeds United is a crucial test for Arsenal to regain form and maintain their lead over Manchester City and Aston Villa in this season's Premier League title race.