Mikel Arteta says Chelsea deserve to be higher in the Premier League (EPL) table as he prepares his title-chasing Arsenal team for a testing London derby on Tuesday.
The Gunners returned to the top of the league at the weekend, beating Wolves 2-0 to leapfrog defending champions Manchester City.
They are level on 74 points with second-placed Liverpool but have a superior goal difference. City are one point behind with a game in hand.
Mauricio Pochettinoโs Chelsea were beaten by City in their FA Cup semi-final on Saturday but are unbeaten in eight league games, with four wins coming in that spell.
Arteta said Saturdayโs win against Wolves was crucial after last weekโs league defeat to Aston Villa and a Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
โWe are in a great position in the Premier League,โ the Spaniard told reporters on Monday.
โWeโve been like this for nine months, nine-and-a-half months, and we want really to give it a real go and be really determined to do what is in our hands to try to lift that trophy and tomorrow we are going to have a very tough opponent in front of us.โ
Pochettino, speaking at his own press conference, said a late call would be made over the fitness of top-scorer Cole Palmer, who had missed training due to illness.
But the Argentine said his team could win with or without their talisman.
Read Also: Dessers becoming stronger โ Rangers boss hails forwardโs improvement
โThe most important thing is the team and the collective,โ he said. โHe is an important part of the team and is doing fantastic for us, but we are Chelsea and we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job.โ
โ โIncredible managerโ โ
Arteta said ninth-placed Chelsea would be dangerous opponents regardless of whether Palmer was fit, praising the squad and โincredible managerโ Pochettino.
โWhoever they put out there, when you look at the squad they have, the quality they have, itโs great,โ he said.
โI think they are doing very, very well. I think theyโre doing much better than people are talking.โ
Arteta added: โThey deserve to be in a much higher position in the league when you look at what theyโve done and what theyโve produced in games.
โThey have reached a final (League Cup), they have reached a semi-final (FA Cup), they could have been through. I think what Mauricio is doing is really impressive and Iโm sure heโs going to get them there.โ
Arteta said his players were full of energy despite a gruelling season as the club hunt their first Premier League title for 20 years.
โWhen I saw them this morning I had to stop them because winning is a big boost of energy and after their performance against Wolves, winning and having to play a London derby tomorrow, everybody is ready for it.
โSomething else is the amount and the volume of those games. Itโs not the moment for us to look at that, we have to think in a positive way and feel and think that we are fresh to perform in the best possible way.โ
Arteta was also asked about his teamโs good record against other members of the so-called โBig Sixโ this season, against whom they have not lost a single game.
โWhether itโs psychology, whether itโs performance, whether itโs getting better as a team, obviously the more you win against big teams the more belief you have that you can do it consistently,โ he said.