Sports
Title-chasing Arsenal ‘more mature’ than last season: Jorginho
Third-placed Gunners hammered bottom club Sheffield United 6-0 on Monday
March 06, 2024 | 12:23 AM
Jorginho believes free-scoring Arsenal are approaching the Premier League title race with more maturity than last season, when they faltered in sight of the finishing line.Mikel Arteta’s men were top of the table for most of the 2022/23 campaign but Manchester City overtook them in the run-in to secure their third straight title. Arsenal have hit a purple patch since the turn of the year, winning all seven league games by an aggregate scoreline of 31-3 as they seek to become English champions for the first time since 2004.The third-placed Gunners hammered bottom club Sheffield United 6-0 on Monday night to move just one point behind City and two behind leaders Liverpool, with 11 games to go. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool host City on Sunday, a day after Arsenal face struggling Brentford."The performance of the squad (was great) and the mentality to start strong and carry on the momentum," Jorginho said after his side’s dominant performance at Bramall Lane. "It was really, really good to see a team playing forward and want to keep going."Asked what is different about the team this year compared to the one that just fell short last season, the Italy international added: "I think the maturity. We are way more mature how we compete and how we manage the games. I think that’s it."Arsenal raced out of the blocks, racking up a five-goal lead quicker than any away side in Premier League history – Declan Rice making it 5-0 in the 39th minute. Ben White’s second-half thunderbolt completed the rout, scoring the club’s 10,000th goal on an evening when they became the first English league side to win three consecutive away games by five or more goals."We are pleased that we are doing all this good stuff, but we need to carry on," Jorginho said. "Because if we just think ‘Oh yeah, nice, it’s done’... no, we just need to put your head down and keep pushing, being humble and keep going."England midfielder Rice, in his first season at the Emirates, said it had been "a hell of a comeback since the Christmas period, when we lost two in a row". "But it is the Premier League, you need to be on it every single game," he added. "You can’t have any slip-ups. We are really enjoying and relishing winning football matches. I think if you look at the two other teams at the top, they don’t look like they are going to slip up anytime soon."Manager Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s close-season signings have added a new dimension to the squad and are helping their team mates reach a higher level. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, signed from West Ham United and Chelsea in the summer, were among the scorers as Arsenal matched their biggest Premier League away win with a free-scoring display at Bramall Lane.Asked if the players signed in the summer had helped Arsenal hit top gear at the right time, Arteta told reporters: "Yes for sure. Obviously picking the right players that could bring something that we didn’t have to the squad, and they’re certainly doing that and improving every single player, and the mechanisms and culture around the team. They are doing that but there’s still the most important part of the season ahead and we know that that’s the case."The Spanish manager also provided an injury update on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who did not play the full 90 minutes. "(Saka) was feeling a bit sick and as well we have Fabio (Vieira) who we have to give minutes," Arteta said. "It was great opportunity (for us) and then we had a little issue with Gabi Martinelli as well, he had a slight cut on his foot and we have to wait and see how he is."Arteta added Takehiro Tomiyasu is "very close" to returning from a calf injury.
March 06, 2024 | 12:23 AM