After losing their first three league games and having the
worst start to a Premier League campaign ever, the Gunners have since turned
their season around.
Arsenal were beaten convincingly by Brentford, Chelsea and
Manchester City in their opening fixtures.
But they managed to halt their losing run to record three
wins on the bounce, including a 3-1 thumping of rivals Tottenham in the North
London derby.
The Gunners were the only team to remain unbeaten in the
month of September, winning all three league matches and earning Arteta the
manager of the month award for the first time in his career.
Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Aston Villa’s Dean Smith and
Brighton manager Graham Potter were the other candidates on the five-man
shortlist.
Speaking about the turn around in Arsenal’s season, Arteta
said: “It’s a great feeling, it means we went on a good run and won matches.
“But for me it’s much more than that. It’s about the people
involved, the people who work with me and how grateful I am to have them.
“The level of trust, implication and passion that they show
working alongside me every day, that gives me the strength and then the belief
in the players that they can do it, and that they are good enough to win
matches and that we believe in them.”
After spending more than any club over the transfer window,
Arsenal and Arteta came under fire as the team underperformed.
But new signings in defence, Ben White and Takehiro
Tomiyasu, have helped settle and solidified Arsenal at the back, with
goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also making a solid start.
Across September, two hard-earned 1-0 wins over Norwich and
Burnley let the Gunners climb up out of the relegation spots before the clash
with Spurs.
“I said it after the game, it’s the best atmosphere I’ve
seen at the Emirates, an enthused Arteta said.
“It was electric, it was real, it was honest and it was a
real sense of chemistry between our supporters and the team.
“And it was the perfect day to thank them.
“A few weeks earlier when we were under adversity and
criticism they really stood for the team and it was a way for the team to say,
‘Thank you, you are a big part of our time and we need you, and when you are
alongside us look at what we can do.”
But their form didn't quite last into October, as a 0-0 draw
against sixth-place Brighton followed.
After the game, Arteta said his side didn’t “deserve” any
more than a draw.
The Spanish boss said: "I think it's a point gained
because I don't think we deserved anything more than that.
"We did deserve the point because we defended really
well in the last 15 or 20 metres of our pitch.
“But in the end, we never felt in control of the game and
struggled to break their press and get a good sequence of passes."
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