Mikel Arteta says he is happy if his Arsenal team stir memories of George Graham’s famously miserly champion vintage at the club as he prepared to face another defensive master – Diego Simeone, who brings Atlético Madrid to the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Arteta’s players are fresh from their 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday, a result that has left them three points clear at the top of the Premier League with an eye-catching defensive record. After eight games in the competition, they have let in three goals and not conceded in two Champions League ties and one Carabao Cup game this season.

“One-nil to the Ars-en-nal” was a popular chant for Graham’s team, who won the league title in 1989 and 1991. Arteta, who is seeking to end the club’s 21-year wait for a similar triumph, made the point that if victory was everything to Graham, no matter the margin, it remained the case for him.

“Yes, it is and especially now,” he said. “In modern football, the margins and the results you see … it’s one goal most of the time. That defines whether you win or not so we have to...