'Alexis one of the best' - Arteta

Cape Town - Mikel Arteta says Alexis Sanchez's eagerness to put defenders under pressure is the blueprint for how Arsenal should play.

The 25-year-old has been in sparkling form this month and his fine October concluded with two goals at Sunderland, where Alexis forced errors from Wes Brown and Vito Mannone.

Arteta believes the Chile international's hard work has contributed to his success.

"Both goals [at Sunderland] came as a result of our hard work," Arteta told Arsenal Player.

"You can force mistakes when you chase people and put them in trouble.

"You do that again, again and again, and the opposition will make mistakes. That’s what we need and now we have people up front with the knife in their teeth who want to go for it, so we have to make the most of it. The more we do it, the more we will improve.

"Alexis closed Sunderland down really well. His desire and his commitment, in addition to the way he wants to train and improve himself, is spot on.

"Alexis is one of the best," added Arteta.

"He’s very committed. Even in recovery sessions he wants to go outside and train to keep improving.

"It’s a different culture and language for him so he doesn’t necessarily understand what we are saying at some times but he wants to play football and I think he feels comfortable as well."

Arsenal host Burnley on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. Kick-off is set for 17:00.