Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given a lengthy interview with Spanish media in which he has discussed his title ambitions – and the context behind why his side haven't won the league yet.
The Gunners have had terrible luck this season, with injuries and controversy blighting their campaign. Talismanic figure Bukayo Saka is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, Gabriel Jesus has suffered an ACL injury and captain Martin Odegaard missed two months of the season through – while discipline has been a major talking point, too.
At the weekend, youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a red card by Michael Oliver in yet another high-profile talking point involving Arsenal. William Saliba was dismissed at Bournemouth earlier this season for a debateable challenge, while both Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard have seen red this season for kicking the ball away – and remain the only two players to have suffered this fate.
Mikel Arteta: “With the stability that Arsenal are showing in terms of performance, in other normal circumstances we would have a big title in our hands”
Speaking with Mundo Deportivo in Spain, Arteta – ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now – was brutally honest with his assessment of where he sees his team, stating that winning a trophy was a “non-negotiable” for this group – but that he saw his group “missing something”.
“With the stability that the team is showing in terms of performance, in other normal circumstances we would have some big title in our hands,” Arteta said.
“But the reality is that we wouldn't. So, we are missing something and that is where we have to find that margin to be able to do what we all want, which is to take another step forward and win the big titles.”
When asked previously about recent title races, Arteta told Sky Sports that he believes his team should have won the last two title races – and has implied that the “circumstances” are simply Manchester City's incredible dominance over the last four years. Though the Basque didn't go into further detail with Mundo, however, he could did go on to explain how injuries – such as that to Odegaard, who he labelled, “an absolute heaven”– have been a dagger to his team's trophy hopes this term.
“Everything that I can do better is a question of numbers,” Arteta said, when talking about bringing in new players. “We started the season with a very low number of players and, unfortunately, we have had many injuries, some very important ones as well.”
Arsenal are still within reach of Liverpool at the top of the table – but only just. The Reds are six points clear with a game in hand, meaning that a trip to Anfield later this season could become the decider of the Premier League title either way – with Arsenal using more emphasis on set-pieces in order to squeeze more from their side.
“My obsession is to win in any context, to dominate every phase of the game, every context and for the team to feel comfortable in that,” Arteta said in reference to dead ball routines. “Because there are times when the rival leads you to chaos. In the end, having resources for everything, that is my obsession.
FourFourTwo understands that Arsenal are still on the search for a striker this month but with time running out, it remains more likely that teenage sensation Sverre Nypan – ranked at no.24 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season – joins instead.
The Gunners take on Girona this week when Champions League action returns and the league phase concludes.
