Improving Arsenal have long way to go, says Arteta

LONDON: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his team have made clear progress in recent months but remain well short of meeting the standards he has set for the north London club.

Arsenal have turned their season around after a torrid start, winning seven of their last 12 Premier League games and netting 22 goals, 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."

Arteta said last weekend's 3-1 victory against third-placed Leicester City was a step in the right direction.

"When you look at the previous game we played against them a few months ago, 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.

Arsenal visit 15th-placed Burnley later on Saturday.