Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confessed to feeling “painful” after his team’s Premier League title aspirations fell short, with Liverpool clinching the championship following a decisive 5-1 victory over Tottenham, leaving Arsenal with a significant gap to close.
The result extinguished Arsenal’s hopes of securing their first league title since 2004, marking their third consecutive season of narrowly missing out. Arteta, whose team had fiercely contested the title with Manchester City for the past two years, acknowledged Liverpool’s success despite the disappointment it caused.
“I understand that Liverpool are a team that is being more consistent and they have a lot of ingredients that you need to win it, but it’s very painful,” Arteta said on Friday. He extended his congratulations to Liverpool on their achievement, stating, “I take the opportunity as well to congratulate Liverpool and what they’ve done in the manner that they’ve done, how consistent they’ve been.”
Arteta noted, “They were the better team. They had so many attributes. They had consistently their squad available. And we’re going to try again. But up to that moment next season, now we’re going to have to finish the season very strong.”
Arsenal’s title challenge was significantly hampered by a series of injuries to crucial players, with six first-team members still unavailable. Arteta was quick to emphasize the impact of these injuries when reflecting on his team’s struggles. “I was very shocked just before the game against PSG at home because I was walking into the dressing room and suddenly I saw all of them together sitting,” Arteta explained. “It was Tomiyasu, next to him Calafiori, next to him Gabriel Magalhaes, next to him Thomas Partey, next to him Kai Havertz, next to him Gabriel Jesus, next to him Jorginho. I said, ‘That’s a starting line-up’. And we don’t have them. We haven’t had them for many, many months. And then I felt joy about the team and what they are doing and how they’re trying and nobody’s talking about it in the building at all.”
Despite the setback, Arteta conveyed his confidence in the team’s resilience and their ongoing efforts to secure second place in the Premier League. “We’ve got to finish the season very strong,” Arteta concluded, as Arsenal now prepares to face mid-table Bournemouth in their upcoming match, currently holding a five-point lead over third-placed Newcastle with four games remaining.
