Mikel Arteta tells the stars of Arsenal what is needed to finish in the Champions League places

Mikel Arteta urged his Arsenal stars not to outdo themselves, now they have a streamlined view of the Champions League qualifying.

The Gunners returned to the points of the Europa League after three league wins on the rebound.

Even more interesting, they are now only eight points behind Chelsea in fourth place and six behind United who are in fifth.

Champions League qualifying could drop to fifth place if the UEFA ban on Man City is respected, but Arteta has made clear to his players the effort needed to reserve their place at the European table next season.

“We have to win every game and then wait and pray,” said Arteta. “This is not a game, we have to go game for game.

“A few weeks ago we were really far from thinking about Europe and at the moment we are a little closer, so let’s go game for game and see where it takes us.”

Arsenal have not been in the Champions League in the past three seasons, and sealing their path would be a huge appreciation for Arteta, who took the place of the team when he was in tenth position.

His men gained ground on the table by beating the Wolves on Saturday – which are only one place and now only three points above them.

But Arsenal are now facing a difficult match, starting with third place in Leicester, followed by the North London derby with Tottenham and the visit of the Liverpool champions.

Then came the little question of the Cup of England semi-final against the reigning champions of Man City, before ending the season with clashes with Aston Villa and Watford, both looking for points in the relegation battle.

Arteta added: “Well, now we are in a good race, we have had some momentum. Now we come to the crucial point of the season in which we will face the best teams in the next two weeks.

“We just try to prepare ourselves better, we know how important these games will be for the future of the season, so we are very focused and committed to trying to do the best we can.”

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