Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest when the Premier League resumed on Saturday.
The Gunners were in desperate need of three points, having been in poor form prior to the international break.
Mikel Arteta believes the international break benefitted Arsenal, and that certainly seemed to have been the case as his side were utterly dominant against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium.
The time off also allowed the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Riccardo Calafiori to return to full fitness.
Riccardo Calafiori sends message to Arsenal fans
Calafiori joined the North London club in the recent summer transfer window, and has largely impressed when he has been fit to play. However, the Italian defender’s game time has been limited due to a number of injury issues.
However, now that the 22-year-old is back in action, he is clearly keen to kick on and make a significant impact in the rest of the campaign.
As quoted by the official Arsenal website, Calafiori said after the win over Nottingham Forest: “I don’t feel like I’m tired but for sure I’ve missed some games and felt it on the pitch. But then the stadium gave me the energy.
“The fans and also my teammates helped me a lot, so I felt really good at the end. I cannot wait to show them what I can do on the pitch again, and to show my teammates to help them.
The former Bologna man then also assured Arsenal fans that the squad are ready to step up to the challenge that they now face in the Premier League title race: “We need some really good wins now in a row. From now until March, there’ll be no rest, all the same weeks and we are ready to do this and to win most of the games for sure.”
What do Arsenal need to do to recover in the Premier League title race?
Arsenal are already on the back foot as far as the Premier League title race is concerned. Liverpool are currently enjoying a healthy lead at the top of the table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
| 2 |  Man CityManchester City | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 |  ChelseaChelsea | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 22 |
| 4 |  ArsenalArsenal | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 22 |
| 5 |  BrightonBrighton | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 22 |
| 6 |  TottenhamTottenham | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 19 |
However, Manchester City’s recent defeat against Tottenham Hotspur will have given the Gunners a boost though, as they were able to reduce the gap between themselves and the reigning champions to just a single point.
Arsenal have been told they they must win seven games on the spin in order to get back into the title race properly, and they made a strong start to that mission against Nottingham Forest.
The most important thing is that the gap between themselves and Liverpool is not allowed to grow any wider, as that would represent an enormous knock to Arsenal’s confidence. Arteta’s focus now must be on patiently chipping away at the deficit that is dividing his side from the Reds.
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