Arsenal travel to St Mary's on Sunday with ambitions of extending their lead at the top of the Premier League, having won nine of their ten league games so far this season.
However, it is only six months since the Gunners travelled to St Mary's with their hopes of Champions League football hanging by a thread and one of the low points of the season was inflicted on Mikel Arteta's side. A Jan Bednarek goal just before half-time gave Ralph Hasenhüttl's side a 1-0 win which proved crucial, with Arsenal missing out on the top four by two points.
Last season, the analysis of Arsenal was that they were a young team playing good football but lacked the cutting edge of sides such as Anonio Conte's Tottenham. Now, they appear to have gained an added steel, with hard fought wins against Liverpool as well as in the North London Derby in recent weeks.
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Arteta has praised the mental toughness of stars such as Bukayo Saka, building the confidence of his team as they gather momentum through the season and are now on an eight-match winning run following their defeat to Manchester United at the start of September.
Saka has been one of the catalysts for Arsenal's success this season, scoring four goals and assisting another four so far in the league, giving his side a cutting edge they perhaps lacked last season. In addition, the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have brought valuable experience to the squad which has driven them forwards.
Talking about added toughness, Arsenal will hope that William Saliba will continue his form this weekend, with a defensive lapse following a set piece handing the lead to Southampton in the fixture at the end of last season. Saliba has been in fantastic form this season following two seasons on loan in France and brings added backbone to the side alongside Gabriel Maghalles and Ben White.
Arsenal will not win every game for the rest of the season, and these tricky away days against sides such as Saints pose a difficulty to any potential title challenge. They have already beaten Chelsea at St Mary's so far this season and Arteta will be hoping that his side can give a good example of their added maturity as they travel down the M3 on Sunday.
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