Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard has admitted his side will need to be perfect in their pursuit of the Premier League title this season.
The Gunners currently sit four points behind league leaders Liverpool who also have a game in hand. Last time out, Arsenal bounced back from a late set-back at Brighton where they were held in a 1-1 draw to beat their north London rivals Tottenham 2-0.
First-place Liverpool are also still yet to claim a league win since the turn of the year suffering successive draws against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. However, Trossard believes that the league’s growing competitiveness means that Arsenal will need to remain at their best level to stay competing.
Saturday 18th January 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
“You need to be perfect every season,” Trossard told Sky Sports.
“Over the last four or five seasons it’s been such a tight race. Everyone is competing, it’s not just the teams that are at the top of the table, everyone is getting better each season so it’s getting more competitive.
“You have to be at your [A] game every single matchday. It’s hard but we just need to keep believing and be ourselves then we can achieve something.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club remain ‘active’ in looking for potential players to come in and eluded to needing support in the frontline as they push for the Premier League title
Arsenal’s efforts to mount a title charge this season haven’t been helped by an ever-growing injury list in forward areas.
This week it was confirmed that Gabriel Jesus suffered an ACL injury and will join Bukayo Saka on the sidelines. Despite absences in attack, Trossard says he’s ready to fill in when called upon.
“The injuries are a big blow for us. We know what Bukayo [Saka] has shown for the club and Gabriel Jesus was on a good run, those injuries are bad luck. We hope we can be ready in the meantime. It’s up to us to be ready.
“We’ve had to twist some things because of the injuries so everyone gets their chance. Of course, I’m always happy [to fill in up front]. I’m always ready to play in whatever position on the pitch.”
A look at the best Premier League goals from Arsenal vs Aston Villa including screamers from Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins
Arsenal have retained a threat from set-pieces and standalone as the side who use corners most effectively. Their corner-taking prowess has led to some criticism from onlookers suggesting the Gunners are over-reliant on set pieces. For Trossard, Arsenal are more than just set-pieces.
“It’s a part of our game that we are really good at,” he told Sky Sports.
“We want to be the best at everything and that includes set-pieces. We have shown consistency over the last couple of years and it’s where you can decide games. It’s a big part of our game but it’s not the only part.
“We can also score from open play. I don’t think there’s been an overreliance on corners. The point of view from the outside will be like that because we have scored a lot but it’s not in our minds to say that we can only score from set pieces. It’s just an extra tool for us to win a game.
“I think everyone in the league would want this. We are really happy with this, obviously, we can score more but at the end of the day, you need to be happy when you have wins in the Premier League.”
Watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, from 5pm on Saturday.
