- Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed he has been in contact with Arsene Wenger
- Gunners face their bitter rivals on Sunday as they chase Premier League glory
- Can Arsenal win a trophy for progress? The Gunners have recovered but there’s the final hurdle – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Mikel Arteta revealed he has consulted Arsene Wenger on what it takes to win the Premier League title – with the blueprint ready on his ‘hard drive’.
Table-toppers Arsenal go into tomorrow’s north London derby against Tottenham seeking a first league title since their Invincibles side of 2004.
Ex-Gunners boss Wenger won the league three times across a 22-year reign at the north London club. Their last scalp was sealed at Spurs’ old home White Hart Lane 20 years ago on Thursday.
And after falling away last season to Manchester City, Arteta has taken no chances.
Arsenal lead the table by one point, but Man City have a game in hand.
He said: ‘I have spoken to him (Wenger) a few times. There were certain topics about how they won it and the later stages.
‘He used to talk about that when I was a player. It is always there in the hard drive.
‘For this time of the season, at the end it is about finding a way to win the game – and that is it. You can do it in various ways when you look at how they won the titles.
‘And how they won certain games with very, very, very close margins. He always talked about that, about the fine margins, and who is going to step up on the occasion to make it happen.’
The match comes with Arsenal having played four times in the last two weeks, while rivals Spurs have not had a single game.
In that period the Gunners lost two games – against Bayern Munich and Aston Villa – and won two.
Yet, Arteta sees it as a positive.
He said: ‘I love the fact we played four times and we had some great experiences in a very demanding week.
‘We managed to have some really good results in the last two and obviously that boosted the confidence and the belief of everybody. We are in a good place.
‘We’re going to be fully ready. We’ve had a bit of time as well to recover and prepare from the Chelsea game. I’m sure the team is going to be fully ready to go again on Sunday.’
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.