Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played down talks that the Gunners are Premier League title contenders this season despite their impressive start.
The north London outfit currently sit top of the table, a point ahead of reigning champions Manchester City and north London rivals Tottenham. Antonio Conte was full of praise for Arteta during his press conference ahead of the North London Derby this weekend, admitting he has been impressed by Arsenal's organisation and summer transfer business.
The Gunners have received a major triple injury boost ahead of the clash against Spurs with Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney all set to feature in the matchday squad. Arteta spoke on his need to protect his players' welfare ahead of a busy fixture period in the lead up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as Arsenal look to stay ahead of their rivals.
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Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes the Gunners are now ready to challenge for the Premier League title after winning six of their opening seven fixtures to start the 2022/23 campaign. Frank is not alone in his assessment of the north London outfit with many pundits also tipping Arsenal to challenge the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham for a top spot come the end of the season.
When asked about whether his team can challenge, Arteta responded: "The mentality doesn’t change, we have to go game by game. We need to look to get better and improve in many areas we need to get better at and to be humble, but at the same time ambitious. That’s our way forward to achieve what we want."
Should the Gunners pick up a win against Spurs tomorrow, they will move four points clear of their rivals with another big test against Liverpool up next for Arteta's side. The Spaniard offered an update on how his squad is looking ahead of the game against Tottenham and thinks his players are in a 'good condition' after the international break.
Arteta added: "We just finished the last training session, we had many players arriving yesterday so we had a short period to prepare the match. The boys look in good condition."
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