30 March 2023 , 08:12
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Few could have predicted that Arsenal would be leading the pack by eight points with 10 games to go before a ball had been kicked this season, but that is the position they find themselves in.
Mikel Arteta's men have stunned fans and pundits alike this term and have sparked hope among the Emirates faithful that the 19-year wait for a Premier League title is about to come to an end. Just what has inspired such a remarkable rise from last season's fifth-place finish is hard to pin down; there are a number of factors at play.
Arsenal's young guns are one year wiser and appear to have used the heartache that missing out on the Champions League last season provided. They have seemingly shaken off their fear of playing away from home against their fellow big-six rivals, as evidenced by important wins at both Chelsea and Tottenham.
That trend will need to continue if the Gunners are going to give themselves the best chance of going the distance, considering they have trips to face Liverpool and Manchester City in the space of three weeks next month.
In the meantime, Arteta has had his say on what he thinks makes this crop of Arsenal stars tick - and insisted it stems from just how much his players like each other.
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"We have the right level of competition and cooperation because they really want to help each other, but they have to challenge each other as well to benefit the team and lift the standards that we want," the Arsenal boss told Sky Sports.
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Mikel Arteta has praised Arsenal's team spirit (Julian Finney/Getty Images)"The secret is probably the unity and togetherness that they have between them.
"They love to spend time with each other, they love to play with each other, they love to play in front of our people and they really have that sense of belonging to the club. That's very powerful, I think."
There have been times when Arsenal seemed to be coming unstuck this season, even as recently as last month when they were beaten 3-1 at home by title rivals City.
Yet each time, they have responded with the kind of steely determination and resilience that has been missing from so many Arsenal squads in recent years, even last year's crop after the way they saw their top-four hopes capitulate.
It is a testament to the kind of togetherness that Arteta has heralded that each time the Gunners have been knocked down this term, they have responded in perfect fashion.
Whether they can keep this momentum going all the way to the end of May remains to be seen; City will be waiting to pounce on any slip-ups.