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Arteta lauds Arsenal desire

SoccerNews in English Premier League 2 May 2013

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Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta believes his team-mates’ hunger is just as important as their ability.

The Spaniard has been a virtual ever-present in the Premier League this season, helping Arsene Wenger’s side lead the chase for fourth spot and UEFA Champions League qualification.
But Arteta says the Gunners’ position owes just as much to the squad’s attitude as it does their ability.
“Every team has got the talent. For me we have more than the rest of them in most of the areas,” he told the club’s official website.
“The others, that mentality, that ambition, that hunger inside to win and to get ahead when it’s not going well or when you lose, it’s very important to get off the floor and react quickly.
“I’m proud because we’ve shown that a few times already since I’ve been here, that people write us off and suddenly we’ve reacted when no one was expecting it. I’m proud of that and the group we have. But we can always improve.”
The former Everton star went on to describe the “contagious” nature of being mentally prepared for a game at the highest level.
“I just like looking around a bit at my team-mates [before a game],” he added.
“A face can tell you a lot of things on the day. So I just look around and see what the attitude is on the day and if you can say something to motivate someone.
“I start thinking about how to do it in the warm up, before we go out or when we’re in the tunnel. That’s when the mind games start a little bit.
“When you see an attitude in four
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or five players, it’s contagious. Someone can be a bit flat if maybe we played on a Wednesday night and it’s Saturday and you haven’t really recovered.
“Sometimes it’s good to say ‘Listen, look at the players we have here. We need to fight for each other, we’ve got a great opportunity here. Let’s go for it’.
“You can speak individually about someone too and tell them ‘You can win the game today, you can do this’. Just get everyone on their toes.”

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