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Saka Confident Arsenal Will Win; Arteta Praises Team

Arsenal is riding high on confidence as Bukayo Saka believes the team can clinch the Premier League title this season. Following their impressive performance against Paris Saint-Germain, manager Mikel Arteta praised Kai Havertz for his standout play. It highlighted the team’s maturity in securing a 2-0 victory. With a solid defensive record and key contributions from players, Arsenal is positioned as a strong contender for both domestic and European glory.

Saka Believes Arsenal Will Win the Premier League

Arsenal secured a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, managing just six shots. Mikel Arteta’s defense restricted PSG to an xG of only 0.39, while key contributions from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka clinched the win against a top European rival. Alongside their draw with Manchester City and a dramatic 94th-minute winner against Leicester City, this performance boosts Arsenal’s confidence for both the Champions League and their Premier League title aspirations.

Saka is so convinced that he believes “this is the year.”

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on us, but I do think that this is the year [that we can win the title],” Saka said to CBS Sports following the match. “I think we’ve been close the last two years, and we’re getting closer, but this hopefully will be the year.”

Saka’s confidence is understandable, especially after netting Arsenal’s first direct free kick in the Champions League since Thierry Henry did it in 2002. With a solid start to the season, it’s no surprise he feels this way. The English winger has contributed two goals and five assists across all competitions and has stepped up creatively since Martin Ødegaard’s injury, helping to keep Arsenal’s attack vibrant.

Coming through the academy, Saka fights for the badge, but it has to hurt to have come up two points short of City last season after watching the title slip out of their grasp in the 2022-23 season. With City superstar Rodri out for the season, it feels like a shift in belief that someone else can win the Premier League title, and Arsenal is saying, “Why not us?”

Arteta Praises Havertz, Says Team Showed Maturity

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Kai Havertz and the team’s maturity after their victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League matchup. A header from Havertz and a free kick from stand-in captain Bukayo Saka in the first half secured a 2-0 win for Arsenal at home.

A key highlight of Arsenal’s victory was keeping a clean sheet against PSG. This team had scored in their last 51 Champions League group-stage matches.

“We feel really happy because we played one of the best teams in the world for sure,” Arteta said. “These games in European competitions are very different to the Premier League, and we showed a lot of maturity. We put our stamp in the way that we want to behave against top teams in Europe and I really like that.”

Arteta also commended Havertz, who scored Arsenal’s first goal in the 20th minute with a perfectly timed run and header. After taking 10 games to score last season, this marked his fifth goal of the current campaign, earning him the player of the match award.

Arteta expressed his admiration, saying, “He has been unbelievable. His football brain, the way he understands space, his timing, he brings people together.” He demonstrated strong faith in Havertz, even during his struggles last season.

“His work ethic is incredible, and now he is a real threat around the box. He is one of our main players at the moment.”

Arsenal into top 8

The victory after a 0-0 draw against Atalanta lifted Arsenal to eighth in the 36-team table. Arteta mentioned that it’s still too early to speculate on how many more wins his team will need to secure automatic qualification for the last 16.

“I’m not even looking at the table,” he said. “But I think it will be a long journey.”

Another positive for Arsenal was seeing the debut of new signing Mikel Merino, who came off the bench in the second half after missing the start of the season due to injury.

On the downside, fullback Jurrien Timber had to be substituted at halftime due to a muscle problem.

Arteta commented on the Dutchman: “He was unbelievable in the first half, but he felt something muscular and he wasn’t certain.” This comes after the player missed nearly all of his first season at the club due to a severe knee injury.

“So I didn’t want to take any risks. He’s been out for a year, and he’s played a lot of minutes, probably more minutes than we would have wanted in the past few weeks.”

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