Arteta believes Arsenal can be better than the championship season
Coach Mikel Arteta affirmed that the 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the third round of the Premier League showed that Arsenal is capable of reaching a higher level than last season.
"This victory is proof that we are capable of playing at a higher level than last season," Arteta said after the match. "It depends on how we maintain desire, humility and strive every day to find a better version of ourselves and the team. We still have a lot to develop and have a lot to contribute. That is the ambition of the team."
At Emirates Stadium on September 6, Arsenal entered the game poorly when Morgan Rogers conceded a goal in the second minute. After that, the "Gunners" pushed the team high, pressed suffocatingly and turned the game around thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard. The home team was under great pressure at the end of the match and had to rely on David Raya's excellence to preserve a 2-1 victory. This result extends Arsenal's unbeaten streak against Chelsea in the Premier League to 10 matches.
Arteta was pleased with the way Arsenal kept calm after going behind early, persistently applying pressure and creating many opportunities. The Spanish coach also believes that the team still has a lot of room for development, including taking advantage of better opportunities. "We can still progress a lot in many aspects. That must be the story and the requirement we set for ourselves, because we can still reach higher levels, both individually and collectively," he said.
Arsenal and Man City are the only two teams that have won all three rounds of the Premier League. But Arteta understands that the race ahead will be complicated and not easy.
"The line is very thin and in the end you have to win matches," he said, referring to the hard-fought 1-0 win at Aston Villa in the second round. "A few days ago, we went to Villa Park and had a really difficult match. Today was the same, then next week we will meet Sunderland and it will definitely be an extremely difficult match. We know every week it will be like that and we have to prepare carefully."
Arteta confirmed that Cristhian Mosquera is absent due to a muscle injury, creating an opportunity for $69.5 million rookie Ezri Konsa to start his first match for Arsenal. The English midfielder quickly adapted when playing alongside Gabriel in the center of defense. Konsa made 12 duels, the most on the team, and won 8. This is his best performance in a Premier League match since December 2024.
One of Konsa's most notable plays was when he tackled and took the ball from Rogers' feet when Chelsea counterattacked. Rogers is also a friend and former teammate of Konsa at Aston Villa.
"I like disputes. For a defender, those are things you have to appreciate. Personally, I like challenges and like confrontation. Today I had a few situations like that and was happy to win," Konsa said. "Rogers is a good friend of mine, but on the field it's a different story. I saw the opportunity to tackle the ball and tackled it successfully."
Konsa was satisfied with his debut in the first London derby, and appreciated the support of the Emirates crowd. He admitted that Arsenal did not want to concede early but said that the reaction after the goal showed the character and spirit of the team.
Joining Arsenal just a few weeks ago, Konsa quickly adapted to Arteta's playing style and felt comfortable in the new environment. The 28-year-old midfielder said that the quality of his teammates helps him integrate easily, and emphasized that Arsenal will maintain confidence and focus for each match even though the season is still long.
On September 9, Arsenal marched to Napoli's stadium for the first round of the Champions League classification round of the 2026-2027 season.
