Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal will gain no advantage in the Premier League title race after Manchester City were charged with over 100 alleged rule breaches thi s week.
City could face a range of sanctions if found guilty of the charges, from points deductions, being stripped of titles to even relegation. While none of the charges relate to the current season - where City are five points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table - Arsenal boss Arteta was asked how his side could take advantage of any distraction at the Etihad after a rocky week off the pitch.
The Blues lost at Tottenham last weekend, handing Arsenal the opportunity to move eight points clear with a win over Brentford on Saturday, so Arteta was keen for his side to show their title credentials on the pitch rather than rely on anything City may or may not do.
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“We have to look after our own garden,” he said defiantly. “Let’s focus on what we have to do and win enough football matches for that to happen. We have to earn the right to win it, that’s for sure.”
Earlier, Arteta had refused to answer questions on the nature of City's charges, and said he never saw anything untoward while coaching at the Etihad.
Returning to football, Arteta reflected on Arsenal's two-game losing run against City in the FA Cup and at Everton in the Premier League, saying his squad are looking to bounce back this weekend.
“It’s not about a comfort zone. In football you lose matches,” he said. “They are very different matches we lost against City and against Everton, but losing brings a lot of opportunities to look at other things and see the reaction of the team. The reaction of the team has been superb this week.
“[Against Brentford] we’re going to put a great performance in, in front of our crowd to try to win the game. [the reaction to Everton] has been really positive. Straight away we sat together, what happened and the opponent played their part.
“You have to congratulate the opponent on the day. It’s true that there are things we didn’t do like in other games and that’s why you lose football matches. But it’s always an opportunity to bounce back and show how much we want what we’re fighting for and do it tomorrow.”
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