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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must win at Chelsea to keep faint top four hopes alive

Arsenal's odds of qualifying for the Champions League are slim - Arsenal FC
Arsenal's odds of qualifying for the Champions League are slim - Arsenal FC

Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal’s dream of finishing in the top four will be “impossible” if they are unable to put together a consistent run of victories, starting against Chelsea on Tuesday night.

Defeat at Stamford Bridge would extend the gap between Arsenal and the top four to 13 points, and Arteta has said it is a game his players must find a way to win if they are to have any hope of finishing in the Champions League qualification places.

The club’s primary goal at the start of the season was to qualify for next season’s Champions League but they are now also in danger of failing to finish in the Europa League places, which would be disastrous for club finances.

Arsenal have won just two of their past 15 league games yet Arteta knows even a small run of victories would be enough to transform their season, given the condensed nature of the Premier League table.

“If we are able to win three or four games on the trot we are right up there,” said Arteta. “That’s the challenge that we have and the challenge that all the teams have at the moment. If we are not able to do that then the dream of being up there is impossible.

“When you look at the results at the weekend, all the draws, and the game between Burnley and Leicester and how one decision changed the whole game. The margin is not that big, so it is complicated. You have to dominate every aspect of the game.”

Tammy Abraham scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea - Credit: AP
Two late goals saw Arsenal squander a lead against Chelsea Credit: AP

Arteta is refusing to view this campaign as a transition season, despite Arsenal's poor form and the huge turnover in players and coaching staff in recent months.

“What I think is going to be very useful is to get a lot of information about what we have, where we are, what we need to improve and how we can do it," he said.

“For that analysis, these months are going to be very useful and we cannot waste these four months doing that and just thinking about next season because the hurry of a big football club is now, not in the summer.”

Arteta will be hoping that teenage forward Gabriel Martinelli can continue his goalscoring form at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have largely struggled in recent months, in the continued absence of the suspended Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The 18-year-old, nominally a winger, scored his ninth goal of the season against Sheffield United on Saturday despite it being just his 10th start since his move to Europe from Brazil. Arteta thinks he could one day become a central striker for the club.

“I think his mentality makes a big difference,” said Arteta. “He can play in any of the three positions up top, depending on what you ask him to do and the type of movements and type of positions he needs to take, but he can be comfortable.

“Maybe in future he can develop as a number nine more, probably yes, but at the moment any of the three.”