Exclusive: Mikel Arteta wants 'recharged, re-energised' Arsenal to 'break that cycle' of losing results

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said his squad are "recharged" and "re-energised" from their winter break and wants them to "break that cycle" of a poor run of results.

The Gunners headed out for warm-weather training in Dubai during their winter break following three consecutive defeats in all competitions.

Arsenal suffered losses against West Ham United and Fulham in the Premier League before being dumped out of the FA Cup by Liverpool.

They only managed to score one goal in those three defeats but speaking in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Arteta urged his team to find solutions to end their goal drought and get back to winning ways.

"We are producing big numbers to have many more goals and that's the areas that we have to improve in the most," he said. "The team is producing in many key metrics a lot of positive things.

"The feeling is really positive about it and when you have one defeat, two defeats and then the third one comes in, obviously you have to break that cycle.

"That's sometimes in your mind as well. It was great to have that break, to refresh ourselves and change environment. Now everybody is re-energised to attack the second part of the season in a really positive way."

Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday when they welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium, live on TNT Sports.

It is not the first time Arteta has experienced a tough run of form during his time at the Emirates.

During the 2020/21 campaign, Arsenal failed to record a win in seven consecutive Premier League matches, while last season saw them draw three on the bounce as they struggled for consistency in the title race.

Despite a slight dip in form, Arteta guided The Gunners out of their slumps in the past and he reflected on how his early stages at the club helped him in that aspect.

"First of all you have to win and we won when we arrived," he added. "When you win, you're probably going to have time and then you have to convince a lot of people that the work you do is worth them giving you the time.

"If not, you'll be out. At some stage you need results and if not, then you'll be out again because it's the nature of our job. I've been lucky with the people I've had because first of all, we won and then they saw the work that we were doing and put faith and belief in that.

"Before I joined, I think everybody was clear that we needed some major changes and structure at the club. In terms of the squad, [we needed] improvements and that hasn't happened overnight."

Arteta has also managed to build a squad that looks to compete for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, and believes that competition for places is key in helping players improve.

"The competition is about making each other better and understanding your role," he said. "If it's extremely competitive between two players, that's not really what we want. We want to be very competitive with the opponent and with ourselves, we want to make each other better and that's a big quality to have in the squad.

"In order to do that, your role might change and you have to accept your role to try and change it and improve it, but always supporting your team-mate. That's the balance that's always needed in the squad."

Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are two players who have thrived under Arteta's guidance over recent years. They have only missed one league match between them this season and Arteta said he was delighted with how both players have developed.

"I had a really positive feeling towards him right from the beginning, that I discussed with him," Arteta explained when discussing Saka. "The way he was approaching his game, his mentality, his intelligence to make decisions, to make things happen.

"And then, the current day, he's shown at his age to take the responsibility that he took in the team. He gave me every reason to back him up, to give him time and full trust to go and express himself."

When talking about Saliba's game since becoming a first-team regular, Arteta added: "His trajectory has been extremely consistent and he still has big room for improvement especially on his leadership skills in the team.

"The way you have to command the line, the way you make adjustments, to continue to develop his presence in the game. Not only when he is defending but in many other aspects [like] scoring more goals and being more efficient in the opponents' box, looking to have more threat in his game in ball possession. There are a lot of things that we can still develop with him."

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