Last season, Arsenal's Ivorian defender Emmanuel Eboue was thrown into the fray after starting right-back Lauren was hit by a career-threatening injury.

Since then, he's seized the opportunity to become one of the most influential players on Arsene Wenger's squad.

The 23-year-old has continued improving this season, playing a more attacking role and providing captain Thierry Henry with inch-perfect crosses that helped the Frenchman steer rare headers home.

He also dished out a brilliant assist to Robin Van Persie during the 2-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the Premiership as the Dutch forward scored "a goal of a lifetime" according to Wenger.

In a phone interview with FilGoal.com, Eboue explains the reasons behind Arsenal's improvement over the past period, reveals the team's European ambitions and says how he sees Tottenham Hotspur's Egyptian striker Ahmed Hossam 'Mido'.

How did Arsenal shake off their sluggish start of the season?

The secret is that we keep working hard. We try to get better every game and this determination helps us restore our fast and attacking game.

Do you think Arsenal's Premiership title hopes are still alive?

Sure they are. The Premiership trophy is our main goal this season and we will do our best to win it. Arsenal haven't reached their best game yet but we are on the right track towards the title.

How do you see your group in the Champions League?

I believe our European campaign is an easy one so far. We will play CSKA Moscow away next game and if we're focused and played our normal game, we can clinch the three points.

How did you improve your attacking role and manage to make many assists recently?

I do a lot of practice with the strikers on the cross passes and this was clear in goals scored by Henry and Van Persie.

Was there any special celebrations to mark Wenger's tenth anniversary before the Charlton game?

The manager told us before the game that just winning the match will be enough to mark the occasion and make him happy.

Do Arsenal suffer defensive problems with so many players out with injury?

Although we certainly miss Philippe Senderos, Lauren and Gael Clichy, things are going fine in the team, especially after signing a player as experienced as William Gallas, who fills the void left by the missing players.

What do you think about Mido's performance with Tottenham this season?

Mido is a very good player and I like his style so much. He is strong and athletic but needs to focus more on the game and then he will be easily scoring goals.