Mikel Arteta has now been hailing the work of one Arsenal player behind the scenes in training over the last few days.
Arsenal saw the rewards of all of their hard work against Chelsea last night, with Kai Havertz playing a star role against his old side.
Chelsea did look dangerous at times, Nicolas Jackson was proving a threat even if his finishing then left a lot to be desired.
But ultimately Mikel Arteta’s side were far too strong for their London rivals, and secured three vital points in their pursuit of the Premier League title.
The Arsenal players can now take a moment to rest whilst watching Liverpool and Manchester City today and tomorrow.
It remains to be seen if Pep Guardiola’s side will take any notice of the so-called ‘scoreboard pressure’ that the Gunners have created.
Man City are still in the driving seat, and have been successful in this situation so many times before.
That being said, Arsenal did look incredibly strong with Thomas Partey back at the heart of their midfield last night.
Mikel Arteta says Thomas Partey deserved Chelsea chance after brilliant training display
Arteta was speaking in his press conference after last night’s 5-0 win and thought it was the perfect game for Partey to return in.
The Arsenal manager hailed the £45m-midfielder’s importance, perhaps alluding to a start against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday too.
Arteta said: “We thought it was a really good game for Thomas to come back, he looks like he is in rhythm, he trained really well the last few days, the way that they set-up, the players that they have in and the way they attack especially, we believe it was the right call to make.
“He stepped up and had a great performance and was really important for the team.”
Of course, a lot of fans may wish that Arteta names an unchanged Arsenal team for the first time in a long while against Spurs this weekend.
A midfield trio of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard played so well, and it is Arsenal’s strongest.
Partey playing in the pivot does sacrifice some defensive security, but the way he progresses the ball more than makes up for it.
All that being said, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t too happy with one thing said about Arsenal last night.
The post 'He stepped up': Mikel Arteta says £45m Arsenal player has been brilliant in training in last few days appeared first on TBR Football.