'Set Piece FC' no more?! Mikel Arteta reveals Arsenal's secret target this season as Gunners boss issues ruthless Premier League warning

Arsenal have enjoyed a brilliant start to their title defence, catching the eye with free-flowing football that has yielded three straight wins. While the Gunners were often labelled "Set Piece FC" during last season's title triumph due to their prowess from dead-ball situations, every goal scored this term has come from open play.

Speaking ahead of the clash at the Stadium of Light, Arteta explained his vision for the team's progression: "I like a lot what I’ve seen from the team so far. For sure, it’s for flair but also just making sure what happens on the pitch is what we want. And having that dominance and control and threat in our minds.

"It’s the way we have to continue and evolve in certain areas and that is an area that we have put a lot of emphasis into and now we have a lot of players back."

The manager is urging his squad to remain ruthless, stating: "The opportunities and synergies that we create with the team are much stronger and we’re going to continue to be like that. That’s always the intention.

"Sometimes it’s the level of the opponents, sometimes the level of execution and that has to increase as well to be much more efficient and dominant throughout the games and we will continue to do that."

A major factor in Arsenal’s aesthetic shift has been the form of Kai Havertz, whose versatility continues to baffle opposition defenders. The German international has been in scintillating form, contributing goals and chances while operating in various roles across the frontline. Arteta believes the forward's footballing IQ is what sets him apart from his peers in the English top flight, making him a nightmare for managers to game-plan against every weekend.

Regarding Havertz's tactical role, Arteta said: "The best position is in relation to what the game demands and what the team demands on the day. To be as efficient as possible, as unpredictable as possible.

"Kai is extremely intelligent, that's his biggest quality. He understands the game, he's five, ten seconds ahead of the game, he knows what he's having, he doesn't need to think about it, he just acts. And he just makes the people around him better, which is another massive quality.

"On top of that, he's scoring goals, he's producing chances, his work rate, as we all know, is just outstanding. And he's in a great emotional state at the moment."

Defensively, the addition of Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa has added a new dimension of leadership to the backline. The £55 million summer signing has integrated seamlessly into the starting eleven, earning high praise from his manager for his vocal presence and personality.

Arteta has been blown away by how quickly the defender has settled in, adding: "It's certainly something to admire because it's not easy at all and you should not take it for granted. But after talking to a lot of people that have worked with him, whether staff members or players, I already had a sense the way everybody was talking about him.

"That he's a person that is great at gathering people together. He has a real personality, a lot of leadership skills.

"And you saw the first day, he just trained the way he was talking, the way he was presenting himself. It was very impressive and so far he's done a really good job."

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