“You’re starting to see the benefits of that” – Jonathan Woodgate claims ‘huge decisions’ by Arteta have made Arsenal favorites for top four

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Jonathan Woodgate has given full credit to manager Mikel Arteta for Arsenal's recent good form. The 42-year-old believes the Gunners are favorites to claim fourth spot in the league despite losing to Liverpool at home.

Speaking on the BBC's Football Daily podcast following the north London club's defeat, Jonathan said:

“They're favorites now and when you look at the form how well they've been playing, I mean that was their first defeat in a while. They've won the last 5 games. They've been playing really well, they just came up against a top quality side."

Although the Gunners haven't been a part of the Champions League in the past five seasons, Woodgate believes Arteta's "huge decisions'' will pay off this time around. Regarding this, he said:

"If Arsenal finish 4th this season it's been an outstanding season, considering they haven't been in the Champions League for the last 5 seasons. When I found that they hadn't been in the Champions League for 5 seasons, I couldn't believe it.

"Back in the 2000's they were a top team, they were winning the league, they were always in the Champions League and that's made Mikel Arteta to pick this club up and go with it," he added. "He's made huge decisions with big players and you're starting to see the benefits of that.”

Mikel Arteta has managed to build the current Arsenal squad around youngsters with loads of potential. The Spaniard made a brave call in getting rid of star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window. The Gabonese forward was dropped from the team on disciplinary grounds before being sold to Barcelona.

Arsenal currently have a group of amazing young players who are capable of producing results in the Premier League. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe have been vital for Mikel Arteta's side this season.

Rowe is currently the Gunners' leading goalscorer this season, having already netted 10 times. Bukayo Saka, meanwhile, has scored nine goals while Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli have both found the net five times.

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Arsenal in control of top-four race despite their 2-0 loss to Liverpool

Arsenal's loss to Liverpool was their first league defeat after a five-match winning run in the Premier League. Despite dropping points on Wednesday, the Gunners are still very much in contention for a top-four spot.

Arteta's side are currently fourth in the standings, having amassed 51 points from 27 matches. As things stand, they are a point ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United with two games in hand.

The Gunners will now travel to Villa Park to take on Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, 19 March.