Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta called on his eie bomb squad to blow open a eight-point gap at the top of the Premier League this weekend.
With the title rivals Manchester City and Manchester United occupied with the FA Cup this weekend and the likes of Liverpool having a blank week, the Gunners host Crystal Palace in Sunday’s only league game at 6pm.
While Arteta’s manne were hoping to book a place in the Europa League quarterfinals by beating Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night, this weekend they will go all out to extend their lead.
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And he’ll be counting on his substitutes, who he now calls “impactors” to make the difference, to give one last push before the international break, which starts after their clash with the Eagles,
Influenced by rugby guru Eddie Jones’ finishers bench philosophy, Arteta says of his bank: “It’s something that we wanted to change and I discussed it with a few people. We wanted to find something that is particular for us.
“Your mentality should be only that: to impact the game to win it.”
WEEKEND’S PREM FIXTURES
Friday: Forest v Newcastle (10pm). Saturday: Aston Villa v Bournemouth, Wolves v Leeds, Southampton v Tottenham, Brentford v Leicester (5pm), Chelsea v Everton (7.30pm). Sunday: Arsenal v Crystal Palace (6pm).