As Arsenal prepares for Premier League title deja vu, Mikel Arteta is ready for a pivotal moment.
After their sad Champions League departure, the manager of the Gunners cannot afford to let his team fade away in the Premier League.
There hasn’t been any question up until now about Arsenal’s improvement over the previous campaign. The team is stronger in critical areas, which allows it to tackle a wide range of obstacles.
Earlier this month, Rob Edwards, the manager of Luton, stated, “I think, maybe they’re the one team out of all of the three that are fighting [for the title], they can play any game.” “No matter the type of game – running, football, or physical – they have the solution. I don’t perceive any flaws.
That remains true despite a stretch of three consecutive losses. However, the real test of whether they have changed in the most elusive of domains—their mindset—will be determined over the course of the upcoming weeks.
As manager of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has emerged victorious in all three of his cup final appearances—that is, if you count the two Community Shields. When his team plays Wolves on Saturday, he will need that record.
Now all of a sudden, that game has become the most important of Arteta’s Arsenal career. This is due to the Gunners’ inability to continue limping over the finish line as they have in the past.
They only managed three victories in their final nine games of the previous campaign. Prior to that, just six out of twelve. Despite their three-game losing streak, Arteta is aware that it cannot continue.
In his post-match press conference following the loss in Munich, the Spaniard expressed his desire that he had said something to cheer up the players. “I’m going to spend time getting to know the players, as will the entire coaching staff. I’m incredibly appreciative to work with them every day as their coach.
“All we have to do is be there for them, supporting and loving them. We have a huge game on Saturday, so we have to pick it up. We have to prove that we are capable of making a difference if we want to continue playing for the Premier League.”
Apart from the evident grounds for this viewpoint, which are related to morale, Arteta is correct to be optimistic. Arsenal may theoretically overtake Manchester City by four points when they play again, as they are now only two points behind them. Despite their impressive record thus far in the season, Pep Guardiola’s team is ultimately just another football team. It’s not out of the question that they could stumble before May ends.
Arsenal needs to be prepared to take advantage of the situation if it should occur. The reason the previous season was so disappointing was because the Gunners gave up the championship with plenty of time left. Arteta will have good reason to point out that his team has improved if they push City until the very end of the season.
Arsenal will attempt to resolve the problems that have plagued them this season in the long run. They will likely move a few players that Arteta appears hesitant to trust on the greatest stage and add a forward this summer. But in the near run, Arteta understands that pushing City to the limit is the absolute least. If he succeeds, the Spaniard may rightfully argue that his team has made progress, regardless of what the detractors may say. It has been 20 years since Arsenal accomplished anything even somewhat similar.