Southampton travel to face Arsenal tomorrow night looking to make it five home league defeats in a row for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta is under fire and his side go into the game 11 places and ten points behind the Saints.
The Spaniard was asked at his pre-match press conference about Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side and heaped praise on them.
Arteta pointed out that Southampton’s high-energy came makes them very tough opponents tomorrow night.
“They are in a really good moment, they are building something over time and you see the results and the progression the team has had,” said Arteta.”They look really strong and they are a very dangerous team.
“They’re a really high pressing team, they are really aggressive, a really committed team.
“They make it hard for you to build a game up, they are really good on the counter press, the moment you regain the ball they have some really quick and fast players and the link up play in the final third is really good.
“They are a team that is very much alive and you can see that the manager transmits that passion from the bench and everyone is aggressive and they all go, they are scoring goals and we need to be aware of that.”
Southampton are flying right now and their constant running makes them one of the last teams Arteta would have wanted his side to face tomorrow.
Arsenal will have to move the ball quickly and accurately out of defence because the Saints are as good as anybody in the league at robbing the ball high up the pitch.
They do play with a high line, which on paper should suit Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang if he can get in behind.
But the Gabonese hitman has been woefully out of form and Arsenal have struggled to provide him with service – which only adds to the difficulty of facing Southampton tomorrow night.
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