Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal squad to reach a level they “haven't even dreamed about” in their quest to beat Manchester City to the title.
The Gunners finished runners-up to City in the Premier League last year for the second season running, but Arteta says they are motivated to topple them this time around.
The Arsenal manager has revealed he and the squad had a dinner after the final game of last season, where they beat Everton but lost the title to City after Pep Guardiola’s side defeated West Ham.
The players’ families and co-chair Josh Kroenke were at the meal in central London, with a unanimous feeling among the group that they would be back to fight with City this season.
“We had a gathering together with all the club and the players were saying to me: ‘We’re going to be better, we’re going to do it, we want more,” said Arteta. “They (the players) are the ones driving that ambition. So that’s always positive.
“Everybody was talking about the same thing, that we are not going to stop here and that we want much more.
“We know the things that we can still do better and how the players can still evolve. How we have evolved as a club is huge as well.
“How we feel playing at Emirates Stadium is another one [of the areas we have evolved]. Those margins are huge and we have to really, really use them.
“I already said at the beginning that the main focus that we have as a coaching staff is to improve our players and give them the best possibility to find a level that probably they haven’t even dreamed about.
“That’s what we have to do and then if we have to add something because we don’t have that in our team or the academy, then we will do it.
“Break more of those records again, earn more points for sure. It won’t be enough. With the level we are competing with and every season is getting harder. We are going to have to improve again.
“For me we’re still very far from perfection. This team still has levels to reach and they give me the reasons to believe that because I see the way they train and the way they play every day. I believe there are still big rooms to improve.
“It’s like you’re trying to climb the highest mountain, [swim] the most difficult lake in the world and you’re surrounded by people trying to achieve the same ambition. We’re certainly gonna try.”
