Mikel Arteta: Arsenal improving but still have long way to go

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal have made clear progress in recent months but his  side remains well short of the standards he has set them.

Arsenal have won seven of their last 12 Premier League games, scoring 22 goals in the process, having managed just 12 goals in their first 14 fixtures.

But despite their recent resurgence, they remain 10th in the table on 37 points, 10 points behind London rivals Chelsea in fourth.

When asked how close Arsenal were to being a team in his own image, Arteta said: "Very far. Very, very far. There's still a lot to improve, a lot of quality to add.

"(We need to be) much more efficient in decision-making, much quicker to open situations up. We need more control of games, more defensive actions in the opponent's half, fewer giveaways, more clean sheets. There's a lot to do, more goals, more creativity.

"When you look at the league table it is not acceptable. We are Arsenal and we should be nowhere near here. If somebody is happy with that he is in the wrong place."

Arsenal will move up to ninth in the table if they beat Burnley at lunchtime on Saturday and Arteta added that last weekend's 3-1 win against third-placed Leicester was a step in the right direction.

"When you look at the previous game we played against them a few months ago (a 1-0 home defeat in October), and you look at where the team is right now, I think it's always a good way of seeing the progression, and I've seen that," he said.

How to follow

Follow Burnley vs Arsenal in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.