Mikel Arteta’s team are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League (Picture: Getty)
Ex-Arsenal right-back Lauren admits he was ‘very concerned’ about Mikel Arteta’s current team, who lead the Premier League with 10 games left.
The Cameroonian, who won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles – including the Gunners’ most recent top-flight triumph in 2004 – was worried about his old club’s mentality heading into the last few matches of the season.
But with just 10 fixtures to go, the north London club are eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City and are in a superb position to win the league.
‘I always believe in positive thinking and I think this team has been absolutely brilliant since the beginning of the season,’ Lauren told Sports Lens.
‘I was very concerned about this team and how they would cope mentally. When you get to this stage of the season, this period brings pressure and anxiety.
‘If this team is capable of managing that pressure and that anxiety, I think that they have a great chance of winning the league.
‘They have proved that in the last couple of games – especially against Bournemouth.
‘To bounce back from two goals down when you’re at the top and under pressure is not easy to do.
‘This team has shown maturity and how to control the emotional parts of the game, that was what was brilliant in the Bournemouth game.’
Lauren says ‘we will have to wait’ to see how the current Arsenal team compares to the Invincibles.
‘Since 2005, Arsenal have always had good squads,’ he added. ‘I remember the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta – these players were all in really good teams.
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‘We came very close to winning the Champions League in 2006, but we didn’t perform well and lost to Barcelona.
‘We will have to wait until the end of the season to see where this team ranks, but they absolutely need to win the Premier League before they can be considered the best team since 2004.
‘I’m never a huge fan of comparing different generations, I believe it is a sign of weakness.
‘This team and this current generation have been performing very well since the start of the season.’
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‘I was very concerned about this team…’