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Arsenal will need to be firing on all fronts domestically and in Europe as they aim for the quadruple
Arsenal will require every available resource if Mikel Arteta is to deliver a Premier League title to the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners currently sit in top spot, though Manchester City are hot on their heels.
The north London outfit have been formidable both domestically and on the European stage this campaign. They finished top of the Champions League table and are set to face Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 later this month.
Arteta is determined to sustain this impressive run of results as he targets the club's first league title since 2004. He recently urged his players to keep their composure as the business end of the season approaches.
He said: "We have a very clear instruction. We have to live in the present and the present is beautiful. "We are exactly where we want to be in every competition.
"So, keeping calm, keeping my eyes open, my ears open, and understanding what the players need to give their best."
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Here, football.london has some of the latest surrounding the Gunners.
Arteta 'doesn't trust' Arsenal duo
Paul Merson believes Arteta lacks the necessary confidence in Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze to deliver when it matters most. Arsenal will need every member of their squad to rise to the occasion during the run-in.
Both Eze and Gyokeres recently netted doubles against north London rivals Tottenham, with Merson highlighting how effectively the pair complement each other. Speaking on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday, he said: "Yeah, he put Saka in there against Wolves.
"It's a hard position to play, the 10. You don't just put someone in there and go, 'Oh, you do what you want and make something happen.' You've got to find pockets, and Eze is very good at that.
"I think that's what he was bought for, to get in there those little pockets; if you get him on the ball he can turn, he's elegant, he goes past people like they're not there.
"That game (the north London derby) was perfect for Arteta - they win the game 4-1 and Gyokeres gets two goals and Eze scores two. I mean, if you could pick two players to get the goals, those would be it. If these two hit fire until the end of the season, Arsenal win the league. If they can go and be 8/10 every week.
"Because we said at the start, when Eze got bought: he was the X-factor and going to be the one who got them over the line. I still think that's the case, as long as he plays and Arteta trusts him."
However, when questioned whether Arteta genuinely has confidence in the pair, Merson added: "No, I don't think he does [with] a lot of people. I think Arteta plays on sparks where he'll watch someone do something wrong and, 'Oh, you're out of the team.'
"We saw it with [Riccardo] Calafiori not too long ago; he had a nightmare game, gets ripped off, don't play again. Eze gets caught on the far post against [Matty] Cash at Villa, don't really play again.
"You've got to give them a chance, trust in them more, these players. I don't think he does that enough in my opinion."
Gyokeres could face awkward reunion
Gyokeres, meanwhile, may be set for an uncomfortable reunion with his former employers Sporting CP in the Champions League. The Swedish striker made the switch to the Gunners last summer from the Portuguese outfit in a transfer worth up to £64million, signing a five-year deal.
The circumstances surrounding Gyokeres' departure from Sporting dominated headlines last year after the ex-Brighton forward refused to report back for pre-season training in Portugal, attempting to engineer his exit from the club.
The 27-year-old even addressed the situation publicly via Instagram. He said: "There's a lot of talk at the moment, most of it is false. I will speak when the time is right."
He could now face an uncomfortable encounter against Sporting in European competition should both sides navigate their respective round of 16 ties. Arsenal are set to meet Leverkusen while the Liga Portugal outfit will go head-to-head with in-form Bodo-Glimt across two legs.
Should both progress, they would be drawn together in the Champions League quarter-finals. Regardless of last summer's tensions, Sporting boss Rui Borges has previously made clear there are no lingering hard feelings and expressed his best wishes for the forward.
He said: "Hurt? No. Honestly, I wasn't hurt. That's football. It's part of football. There are arrivals and departures. We have to know how to deal with it. We have to readjust all the time. He was a very important player, not only this season.
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"I wish him the best of luck in the world, he marked an era in our football. He will be missed in his own way. We will have other players. We will continue to be competitive. Players come and go, but the club remains. Others will come in and become great and better and better."
However, Borges will be hoping to get the better of Gyokeres should the two sides cross paths in European competition.
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