Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Josh Holland

Paul Merson sends Mikel Arteta clear Premier League warning ahead of crunch Chelsea clash

Arsenal hero Paul Merson has warned his former club to keep their focus on achieving a top four finish this season after their impressive start to the 2022/23 season.

The Gunners find themselves top of the Premier League after 12 games with 10 victories and only one defeat. They sit two points above reigning champions Manchester City, forcing Pep Guardiola to admit Arsenal as his side's 'number one' rival to lift the title in May.

However, after facing all three promoted teams and facing two of last season's top four at home, question marks have been left over Mikel Arteta's side's realistic chances of winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004. Sunday's crunch London Derby against Chelsea (12pm) provides the Gunners with their first tough fixture on the road of the season.

READ MORE: The six Chelsea players Graham Potter will be without for Premier League clash against Arsenal

Merson has insisted the Gunners should not 'lose sight' of achieving a top four finish and highlighted the importance of avoiding defeat at Stamford Bridge. Talking on Sky Sports Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday, he said: "I still think there's a lot to do, I really do. There's a long way to go.

"We've seen performances in the last couple of weeks at Southampton and Leeds, I know they got four points out of them two games, but they could have got none.

"The fixtures have been quite kind, the way that they've spread out. If you look at the fixtures, it hasn't been back-to-back real hard games. You just reeled off Chelsea [fixtures] then and they've got Arsenal at home, Man City in the cup and Newcastle - all flying.

"Arsenal haven't had that. When they played Liverpool, the were struggling at the time and played Tottenham at home where you'd rather play them at home rather than away. They've done what they've had to do.

"You see with Liverpool last year, they lost the league by one point on the last day of the season. They didn't beat Chelsea, Man City or Tottenham, they beat all of the over teams. Arsenal are doing that and that's what they've [beat the big teams] got to do.

"They've got to make sure they don't lose tomorrow. They shouldn't lose sight of getting themselves into the top four. Don't start thinking about the league title at the moment, just keep on chipping away."

READ NEXT:

What Aaron Ramsdale did in Emirates Stadium tunnel ahead of Zurich that Arsenal fans will love

Arsenal player ratings vs FC Zurich - Tierney's Chelsea claim, Lokonga impresses, Jesus angst

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta responds to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's four-word Chelsea call out

Tomiyasu, Saka, Tierney: Arsenal injury news and who will miss Chelsea Premier League clash

Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Tomiyasu injury update, Europa League reaction, Chelsea call

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.