Arsenal: Mikel Arteta Reveals How Effective Partnership With Debuchy Gives Alexis Sanchez Room To Operate Upfront

Arsenal holding midfielder Mikel Arteta revealed how his partnership with Mathieu Debuchy has given attacker Alexis Sanchez the needed room to operate upfront.

The Chilean international has been a creative force for the Gunners, thus far, and has also shown that he is a threat in front of goal, tallying 8 successful strikes and 4 assists in all competitions.

"I felt really comfortable with [Flamini]," Arteta told Arsenal.com.

"Last year we played some important games together and I think we understand each other well.

"We wanted to give a bit more freedom to Alexis, playing a bit behind Danny [Welbeck], more like a 4-4-2, which we haven't played for a while."

"It worked - I think Alexis did very well today so we're happy for him."

"His confidence is high. Physically he's better, you can see that by the runs he was making in the 93rd minute, [when he] chased the keeper and kept going."

"That's all about him - he wants to keep going, he wants to improve and he's doing very well."

Meanwhile, the former Everton man urged his side to be more "consistent" with their performance throughout the season, should they want to achieve their objectives.

"We need to be consistent now and get the points because you know how difficult it is," he added.

"You look at Manchester City dropping points, you look at Liverpool dropping points and that tells you how difficult this league has become."

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