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Mikel Arteta Admits Arsenal Are In A Relegation Battle

Mikel Arteta Admits Arsenal Are In A Relegation Battle

New West Brom boss Big Sam said that Arsenal are in a relegation battle with the Baggies, and Arteta has agreed with his rival manager.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Mikel Arteta has agreed with Sam Allardyce that his Arsenal side are in a relegation battle in the Premier League this season.

It's not been a good season at all for Arsenal and after seven games in-a-row without a win in the league the north London side find themselves much closer to the bottom of the league than the top.

The Gunners are currently in 15th place in the league and just four points off the bottom three, whilst the top four are already 12 points clear of them.

Asked this week if he believed Arteta's side were relegation rivals, Big Sam said, "Absolutely. They haven't won a Premier League game for almost double figures."

And the new West Brom manager, who has only taken charge of one game so far, isn't the only one who thinks so. Asked about the former England boss' assessment, Arteta revealed he agrees.

"At the moment, it is [true]. We have to win, we haven't won enough in the last 10 [games]," he told Sky Sports.

"This is our reality now, this is the challenge we are facing. When you are facing a moment of difficulty, you have two types of people. Fighters and victims. At the moment, we just need fighters, I'm afraid."

Arsenal players look dejected after Manchester City score in the Carabao Cup. Image: PA Images
Arsenal players look dejected after Manchester City score in the Carabao Cup. Image: PA Images

The two sides will meet in a week's time, with Arsenal having a huge few days that could turn their season around or lunge them further into trouble.

On Boxing Day they face Chelsea in a London derby before going up against Brighton, who are just two points behind them, on the 29th.

January 2nd sees their meeting with Big Sam's team at the Hawthorns and Arteta said the next three games are huge for them, "The next seven to eight days are going to be crucial to see where we're going to be heading to in the Premier League.

"We have to stand up and we have to pick up the points. Let's draw a line and move forward. Whether it's bad luck or these things that are affecting our results, they have to change dramatically."

Allardyce returned to football with a loss to Aston Villa. Image: PA Imaged
Allardyce returned to football with a loss to Aston Villa. Image: PA Imaged

Ahead of the game against Frank Lampard's side on Saturday, the former Manchester City assistant boss revealed he thinks the Blues have the strongest squad in the league, saying, "Chelsea always have a great squad of great players.

"In this moment, you're probably talking about the strongest squad in the Premier League. They're doing a really good job, Frank is doing a really good job."

By the time he meets Sam Allardyce next week the two teams may be even closer in the league, and that would be a huge issue for the Spaniard.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, West Bromwich Albion, Sam Allardyce, Premier League, West Brom, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta