Mikel Arteta says sending Arsenal ‘back to basics’ has inspired return of form

Mikel Arteta explained going “back to basics” helped Arsenal recover from a sticky run to regain control of the title race with successive away wins against Aston Villa and Leicester.

A 46th-minute goal by Gabriel Martinelli at the King Power Stadium was enough to maintain their two-point advantage over Manchester City, which will be extended with a positive result from their game in hand at home to Everton on Wednesday. An away defeat against Sean Dyche’s side earlier this month sparked a winless three-game spell that included a loss to City and threatened to blow them off course, but those memories now appear to have been banished.

“Really important because it creates more belief in the players, around the club and externally,” Arteta said of their response over the past eight days. “But I had the belief the players could do it. It was [about] coming back to some details and basics that got games away from us. The last two games, especially today, we have done it much more.”

A first clean sheet in seven games, against a Leicester side whose only shot was a 25-yard effort from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, also enthused Arteta after defensive errors had crept in over recent weeks. “Set plays and some sloppy goals with individual errors that are part of football,” he said of those errors. “But the fact we are not conceding goals and giving away chances is really important if you want to be constantly winning matches.”

Martinelli was restored to the starting lineup after being dropped to the bench at Villa Park, where he scored late on. “Sometimes you have to give someone a breather to come back with even more energy and enthusiasm,” Arteta said. “Today he contributed with a fantastic goal that gives us the win.”

A 10th win on the road this season, more than Arsenal managed in the entirety of 2021-22, never looked in doubt after Martinelli’s strike. “To do what the team did today is very, very difficult,” Arteta said. “We dominated the game almost from start to finish.”

Leicester are now three points above the relegation zone and Brendan Rodgers had no complaints about the outcome. “The scoreboard was close but in terms of football and technical quality they were on a different level,” he said of Arsenal. “I think they are going to go very close [to winning the title].” Nonetheless his side’s performance frustrated him. “We were passive in our contact,” he said. “We wanted to be really aggressive in the game.”