Tag: Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta challenged spluttering Arsenal to start writing their “own destiny” in Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham after losing control of the Premier League title race.

Arteta’s side held a commanding lead in their bid to win a first English title since 2004, but the leaders have allowed second-placed Manchester City to close within five points of top spot.

City, who face Newcastle on Saturday, have a game in hand over Arsenal and will host the Gunners in a crucial clash in April.

If Pep Guardiola’s team win their remaining 12 matches, they will take the title regardless of Arsenal’s results in their last 11 games.

It is a painful scenario for Arteta, who presided over Arsenal’s blown leads in title races won by City in 2023 and 2024.

The Gunners have finished as runners-up for the last three seasons, and their latest untimely stumble has raised pointed questions about their ability to cope with the pressure of the title race.

But Mikel Arteta is adamant his players can handle the tension, as long as they embrace the opportunity to make history.

“What I have seen is a tremendous reaction again. When you lose points with the last kick of the game, in an unpredictable manner, nobody can really understand that. But this is football,” he told reporters on Friday.

“Life moves on, there’s nothing we can do. It is about what happens next.

“That was a chapter. In chapter 27, we draw against Wolves. In the next one it is about how we write our own destiny going forward.”

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Arsenal have squandered the lead in their last two matches, drawing 1-1 with Brentford and 2-2 at bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Failing to beat Wolves after establishing a two-goal lead was especially painful, with a mix-up between keeper David Raya and defender Gabriel Magalhaes sparking Tom Edozie’s stoppage-time equaliser.

“The immediate reaction is tough. It was a shock to the system. We wanted to win and we couldn’t and we have to move on,” Arteta said.

“But we have clear instructions. We have to live in the present. The present is beautiful, we are exactly where we want to be in every competition.”

Arsenal have won just two of their last seven league games, but troubled Tottenham are in even worse form, with no wins in their previous eight top-flight matches.

Tottenham are just five points above the relegation zone, and interim boss Igor Tudor will be taking charge for the first time following Thomas Frank’s sacking.

Arsenal thrashed Tottenham 4-1 in November, but Arteta is wary about facing a team with a new manager.

“I think it has happened seven times already to us this season,” he said.

“We will have the capacity to adapt, but the main focus is on what we have to do to win.

“It’s the match we have next and the one we cannot wait to play. We have to show up on Sunday.”

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Mikel Arteta warned that player welfare should be the primary concern for football’s rule-makers as Arsenal’s fixture pile-up threatens to put his team at risk.

Arteta’s side are set to face Crystal Palace in the League Cup quarter-finals on December 16.

But that would mean Palace facing three matches in just five days, and the FA Cup holders are hopeful of moving their match at the Emirates Stadium to the following week.

It is understood Arsenal’s preferred option is for the last-eight clash to remain on December 16 to avoid exacerbating the hectic Christmas schedule.

Arsenal are currently in a run of seven matches in just 22 days, with the Premier League leaders heading to Burnley on Saturday before returning to Champions League action at Slavia Prague on Tuesday.

“Every decision that we make in terms of a fixture has to be guided on two main things; players’ welfare, and then supporters, and that is it, and the rest has to come very, very far away from that. And we should never forget that principle,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.

“If we have that big piece of paper with those two principles there in front before we make any decision, all of us in our industry, we won’t get there. If we don’t and we just ignore that, then anything is possible.”

Manchester City midfielder Rodri said last season that players could strike amid an increase in fixtures.

Pressed on whether the talk of player strikes could resume as the fixtures mount, Arteta said: “If we look after the players’ welfare and our supporters, we are never going to get to that point.

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“We have to close the window there. We cannot open that window. It has to be closed. It’s our most precious value.”

Arsenal secured their place in the League Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Brighton on Wednesday.

That made it eight successive victories in all competitions for the red-hot Gunners.

They will travel to Burnley with a four-point lead at the top of the table and a defence that has not been breached for six matches.

Arsenal are hoping to win the English title for the first time since 2004 after finishing as runners-up for the last three seasons.

Asked if there is a feeling within his camp that Arsenal are unstoppable at the moment.

“No, because you always have that sense of urgency, and you see the complications and the challenges that the next opponent is going to bring you, and we know that, and every three days, we have very little time to train and prepare,” Arteta said.

“It’s a big opportunity that we have ahead of us, but we have to continue with that level of consistency, and we know how difficult that is.

“We’re going to have to again hit those performance levels.”

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