Arsenal progressing quicker than Arteta expected

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal's progress since he took charge has been quicker than he expected.

Arsenal have shown signs of improvement since Arteta took over as head coach in December, losing just one of nine games, although only three have been wins.

While his side are 10th in the Premier League ahead of hosting Newcastle United on Sunday, Arteta has been happy with their growth.

"Progress has been quicker than I expected," he told reporters, via i.

"I've found out things I didn't know when I joined and have had to address. We haven't won [many] games but I have a clear picture of why not. There are many factors to that.

"We've got to start winning quickly. The next two or three weeks will dictate where we are in the last four or five weeks to challenge for Europe."

With just six wins in 25 Premier League matches this season, Arsenal are 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.

Arteta hopes to see even more progress from Arsenal after their mid-season break and ahead of what he said was a key period.

"We agreed on some targets, we've started to work on them, and hopefully you'll start to see the outcome in the next few weeks," he said.

"The players know how crucial the next three or four weeks will be for aims until the end of the season."