Arsenal are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table heading into the final nine games of the season with tough games against Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea still to come
Arsenal have been transformed into Premier League title challengers under Mikel Arteta this season. The Gunners are just nine games away from lifting their first Premier League title since 2004 with an eight-point lead over Manchester City.
One of the first managers to publicly urge Arsenal to back Arteta despite some difficult moments leading up to this season was former Chelsea and Everton boss - Frank Lampard. The 44-year-old told the north London outfit to give the Spaniard time to turn things around at the Emirates Stadium in December 2020, and Lampard has now been proven right with Arsenal's amazing form this term.
Speaking in December 2020, Lampard said: "Expectations are higher at clubs like the ones we are both managing [Arsenal and Chelsea], but I don’t think it’s a case of him being a young manager. I see him as a very talented manager, and we’ve seen examples of clubs who have built really strong squads over the last three or four years.
"The dominant teams over that period, Manchester City and Liverpool, have had time to work and improve the squad. They went through tough moments, and they were given time to improve through those moments.
"It’s only then that you really learn about players, the team and the squad as a whole. I’m not talking specifically about Mikel here, but just generally in the Premier League.
"If you come into a club that’s going through a period of certain transition, I think it’s very understandable there will be lots of situations and work that you need to do in order to get the club where you want it to be. It’s not all rosy as that’s not football.
"That’s not to do with the manager. I think Mikel is a highly talented coach and manager, and his team are really just going through a recent patch of difficult form.
"That’s very commonplace in the Premier League as it’s a very tough league. I’ve got huge respect for Mikel and for Arsenal. They have a quality set of players."
Arteta was given the time to build a talented squad of players that is now on the brink of making history this season. Arsenal do not look like they will be going away any time soon with a group of young players, mixed with experience and further additions expected in the summer - it could be the start of a Gunners' dominant era.