Arteta: 'Arsenal right in the mix for title race'

Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are "right in the mix" at the top of the Premier League despite their stumbles over the past two weeks.

The third-placed Gunners, hunting their first top-flight title since 2004, are five points behind leaders Manchester City after nine games, following a shock 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth and a 2-2 draw against Liverpool.

They face a tricky away trip to Newcastle on Saturday, desperate to ensure the gap does not grow wider. Arteta, whose team have pushed City all the way in the past two seasons, was asked on Friday whether he was concerned over the points difference, with Liverpool also four points ahead.

"You want to be first, you want to win every game," said the Spaniard. "We know the situations that we have to play with this season, but we're right in the mix. We know the tough challenge that we're going to face tomorrow, but we're fully ready for that." Arteta said his injury-hit team had showed an "incredible capacity" to compete against Liverpool last week. "Unfortunately a lot of things happened that we didn't even plan for," he said.

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