Manager Mikel Arteta called on his players to “take responsibility” and “get the job done” in the Premier League title race after taking time to recharge and reflect after the defeat to Manchester City.
Arsenal lost the top spot to City with a 1-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday, but the fate of the Premier League trophy remains in the hands of both teams as they are level on points with five games remaining.
Speaking live on Sky Sports, Arteta called the five-game series, starting with Saturday night’s game against Newcastle at the Emirates, a “new league” and said Arsenal were ready to bounce back from back-to-back defeats against Bournemouth and City.
“It’s important that we feel confident, trusting and clear about what we want to achieve on the pitch,” he told Sky Sports.
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Mikel Arteta reflects on the atmosphere of his players ahead of the run-in
“But this is a moment where we all take responsibility. We can talk all day long, but we need to be on that pitch and we need to get the job done.
“We have a lot of players who stand up and they are very influential, but we also have young players, we have players who are less experienced, they have enough character to play in this moment.”
Arteta said he had been encouraged by his players’ reaction to Sunday’s defeat at the Etihad Stadium and had taken time to reflect and recharge afterward.
“I really liked the reaction in the locker room right away because I could feel they were even more confident that we were going to do it than they were before the game,” he said.
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Watch for free: Highlights of the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal.
“It’s been a long week, the sun was shining. We used it to recharge and refresh… We talked about the team we wanted to be.
“The analysis part was very short and early in the week. After that it was more about us and what we want to look at again and build on, that connection and clarity and the five games left. Newcastle is the first leg. Good luck.”
“I think we’re privileged to be in the position we’re in. We value that position and now we need to seize it.”
Despite the result, Arsenal were praised for adopting a more attacking style against Manchester City, which seemed to catch the new league leaders off guard.
Arteta faces a new dilemma knowing goal difference could be decisive in the title race and believes his toughest task will be selecting his team in the final week of the season as Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafioli prepare for their return from injury.
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Michael Bridge talks about the title race between Arsenal and Manchester City and whether winning the Gunners’ next two games could turn the tide.
He said, “One of the biggest problems for a coach is deciding on the lineup, how to start the game and how to finish the game.
“First the games we expect and how we can change that if the circumstances are different. We have very different profiles of players and that’s a good thing.”
“Hopefully we’ll have two or three more players back this weekend, which will be a big boost for us and we’re looking forward to it.”
Martinelli reveals Arteta’s message after Man City defeat
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Saturday’s match, forward Gabriel Martinelli revealed Arteta’s message to his players after last weekend’s defeat at the Etihad, telling them they “know how to get there” in the title race, finally ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.
“He said he believed in us completely. He said it was everyone else’s fault that we didn’t get this far, it was our fault,” Martinelli said.
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Gabriel Martinelli speaks to Roman Kemp and reveals Mikel Arteta’s message to Arsenal players after defeat to Manchester City
“It’s all thanks to us and what we’ve done all season. We know how to get there and we want to win the title and leave our name in the history of the club.
“We’re going to try to do the same thing, but even more so in these five games.
“Everyone believes in themselves at this football club so we just have to show that on the pitch and give our all for this badge.”
Saliba: ready to “die” for the title
William Saliba says Arsenal are ready to give their all in the final week of the season to end their 22-year title wait after their unfair defeat against Manchester City.
“We’re in the big part of the season right now,” he told Men in Blazers. “Obviously the last few weeks haven’t been that great for us, but we’ve learned from it and now we’re looking forward to playing on Saturday and changing everything.
“If we want to win that league, we know what we have to do. We have to start on Saturday. When you play football, you want to play games like this, so I feel good pressure.”
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William Saliba says Arsenal need to give “everything” in their final bid to win the Premier League. Credit: Men in Blades Media Network.
“I’m not happy when I lose a game. I know I didn’t deserve to lose the last game. But that’s life. That’s what it’s like when you don’t kill your opponent.”
“We learned a lot from that game and we know that everything is possible. We know that if we want to win this Premier League we now have to win every game.”
“We need to be calm. We need to die on the pitch now. We have to go. We need everyone, the fans, the team, the staff. We have to give everything and die on the pitch.”
