Gallery: All smiles in the rain before Bournemouth | Gallery | News

Mikel Arteta wants his players to harness the fighting spirit that saw us come from behind to beat Bournemouth last season to help them get one step closer to winning the Premier League title.

That classic against the Cherries saw us recover from a goal down in the first nine seconds to win with the last kick of the ball, with a never-say-die spirit that propelled us when adversity struck to score three huge points.

And while the manager hopes such drastic measures will not be necessary when Bournemouth return to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since that iconic afternoon last March, the need for wins is even greater this time around and Mikel wants us to be prepared to dig deep if necessary. to continue putting pressure on Manchester City.

Recalling last season, he said: “It’s a great memory because the match ended in a really beautiful way. It was one of the highlights of the season, so we know we’ll have to win it again tomorrow. It’s going to be a very tough game but the team is prepared.

“You need that (resilience) at any stage, but now, obviously, with what we have to win, we know that we are going to have to win games in different ways, and that can be one of them. Hopefully tomorrow won’t be that, but if it has to be to win it, welcome.

“I have a different game in mind for tomorrow, but tomorrow we will have to do very well and give our best. If we do that, we have a good chance of winning.

“We played in many different scenarios this season and our job is clear. We have to win our game and wait. “The only thing we can focus on is that.”

Big wins over Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have kept us at the top of the table, and although it has been suggested that it was easy for our team to get up for those big games against our rivals, Mikel is convinced that his team are not giving everything. sitting before this weekend with a practically non-existent margin of error.

He revealed that as soon as they walked off the pitch against Spurs, conversation turned to the visit of the Cherries on Saturday, assuring him that his players are hungry to win every game they have left to give them the best possible chance of glory in a fortnight. .

“The first thing we did was try to read where the spirit and energy was,” Mikel added. “They were already talking about (Bournemouth), almost as if it was going to be even more important, now we have momentum, now we have to keep going. “They know what is at stake.”

Revealing what he has been telling players ahead of this one, he suggested: “Just focus and put all your energy into finding that determination and will to do the best we can to earn the right to win games.

“The first is Bournemouth, it’s at home, there will be an incredible atmosphere again. “Be present and be in the moment and let’s see what happens.”

Read every word of Mikel’s pre-match press conference