Arsenal star Takehiro Tomiyasu has revealed that new signings are just one of a number of things at the club which have helped the Gunners climb to the top of the Premier League table. Ahead of what could be a season-defining week where Mikel Arteta's men face Brentford and title rivals Manchester City, Arsenal sit five points clear at the summit with 16 wins from 20 games.
The Gunners were prevented from notching 17 wins last weekend by Everton at Goodison Park with James Tarkowski scoring early in the second half to hand the league leaders just their fifth defeat of the season in all competitions. However, Man City were guilty of not capitalising on that slip-up just over a day later as they also suffered a 1-0 defeat away from home to Tottenham.
After missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day of last season, Arsenal already have an 11-point advantage on the team in fifth which happens to be their north London rivals Spurs who pipped them to that final European place in the last campaign.
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Tomiyasu was part of the starting XI in the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle which ultimately cost Arsenal their spot in the top four. However, the Gunners have not allowed that to affect them in this campaign as they have been seated at the top for nearly the entire season, something their Japanese defender did not see coming
"I was not expecting it to be honest," Tomiyasu told GOAL. "The atmosphere in the team is amazing. We are like a family, the supporters as well.
"Obviously we are top of the table and we have a chance to win the league, it's toon soon to speak about it but we have to go for it."
With Arteta allowed time to implement his methods on the team, combined with new signings, Arsenal are flying but there is one particular thing that several Arsenal players have highlighted as the biggest difference from last season and Tomiyasu's opinion is no different
"The training level is so high, it is much higher than last season," Tomiyasu said. "There could be many reasons, we've got new players and we now have depth. We demand [more] from each other. We keep pushing each other to be better. As a team, as players and as a person."
Those standards set in training seem to be throughout the whole team and it starts with the manager as Tomiyasu pointed out with a wry laugh and smile. "Yes, sometimes," he said when asked if Arteta gets involved. "He trains with us and he has very good skills."
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