Santi Cazorla believes Arsenal’s current form shows they have to be considered contenders for the Premier League title next season.
A 3-1 win at Hull on Monday night saw Arsenal back in the wins column after last week’s goalless draw with newly-crowned champions Chelsea halted a run of six straight in the league.
Their form makes them clear favourites to defend the FA Cup when they face Aston Villa in the final at the end of the month, but they are on course for second place as Chelsea’s closest challengers.
“Of course we want to win the title next year, but second place this season is for now the most important thing,” Cazorla said on Sky Sports 1. “We want to finish in the Champions League places and win the FA Cup final.”
Cazorla had another outstanding personal evening, driving Arsenal forward and setting up Aaron Ramsey for the second goal of the night.
“I enjoy it a lot when we play here, but the most important thing is the victory,” he said. “The team is in a good moment and we want to keep this level up until the end of the season.”
The result saw Arsenal move past 100 goals for the season in all competitions, and Hector Bellerin hailed the creativity of Arsene Wenger’s side.
“It shows that the team has capacity to score goals, we have creativity and top players up front,” he said.
“But the team defends really well as well. The attacks start from the goalkeeper to the striker and as a team we are really creative.”