Yahoo News Mikel Arteta reveals key to Arsenal resurgence after winning Premier League manager of the month award
Mikel Arteta has hailed Arsenal’s recent resurgence after he claimed manager of the month honours in the Premier League for September.
The Gunners were in fine form before the October international break, recording back-to-back 1-0 wins over Norwich and Burnley before seeing off AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup and producing a devastating first-half display to beat Tottenham 3-1 in the north London derby.
While that four-match winning streak came to an end in a goalless draw at high-flying Brighton last weekend, with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang striking the post in the wet conditions at the Amex, the performance once again showcased that Arsenal appear to have solved their long-standing defensive issues with Ben White and Gabriel impressing as a centre-half partnership.
Such an upturn in fortunes was badly needed for Arsenal after they began the season with three defeats on the spin amid speculation over Arteta’s future following an embarrassing drubbing by former club Manchester City.
But the turnaround under the Spaniard has now been recognised, with Arteta beating Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Brighton boss Graham Potter and Aston Villa’s Dean Smith to be named as the top-flight’s manager of the month for September.
Praising his supportive backroom staff and players for their key role in the resurgence, Arteta said: "It's a great feeling, it means we went on a good run and won matches. But for me it's much more than that. It's about the people involved, the people who work with me and how grateful I am to have them.
"The level of trust, implication and passion that they show working alongside me every day, that gives me the strength and then the belief in the players that they can do it, and that they are good enough to win matches and that we believe in them."
Arteta was also keen to heap praise on the Arsenal fans after they kept the faith amid the early-season gloom and helped to inspire the memorable north London derby defeat of fierce rivals Spurs, which saw Emile Smith Rowe, Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka all net during a remarkable, utterly one-sided first 35 minutes.
"I said it after the game, it's the best atmosphere I've seen at the Emirates. It was electric, it was real, it was honest and it was a real sense of chemistry between our supporters and the team,” the Spaniard added.
"And it was the perfect day to thank them. A few weeks earlier when we were under adversity and criticism they really stood for the team and it was a way for the team to say, 'Thank you, you are a big part of our time and we need you, and when you are alongside us look at what we can do.' "
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