Arteta makes Arsenal title vow in ultimate compliment to Man City and Guardiola
Mikel Arteta says his players will have to show “absolute perfection” at Manchester City - and insists Arsenal will still win the title.
Arteta paid his old boss Pep Guardiola the ultimate compliment by claiming City are the best team of the Premier League era because of their style and hunger for trophies.
But there was also an unshakable belief in Arteta as he insisted Arsenal are not just in it for the ride as he remains convinced his players will be crowned champions.
Gunners boss Arteta said: “You have to deliver in the right moment, the right performance and it has to be perfection because that's what this last level demands – absolute perfection in every single ball.”
When asked whether City are the best team of the Premier League era, Arteta said: “Probably, yes. They are an incredible team, incredibly well coached. The culture they have set. That winning hunger, to win one season, two, three, four.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
“You need a lot of good people around that has the capacity to set those demands, they have incredible players, that’s for sure. But that’s not enough.
“They have something else there, credit to them for the way they’ve done it and the consistency they have shown. Then there’s their style. They have brought something very different to this league that hasn’t been seen before.”
Arteta says his team already deserve respect for leading the title race for much of the season let alone going toe-to-toe with Guardiola’s City who have won the Premier League In four of the last five seasons.
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta face off on Wednesday (Getty Images)Arsenal have been the surprise package in the Premier League this season - but Arteta says now they have come this far he is confident they WILL win the title rather than just saying they want to win it.
Arteta, who worked under Guardiola as a coach for three years at City, said: “For sure, if you look across Europe in the last six years, a team that has been able to consistently get the number of points like City have done, the next team is very, very far apart.
“So, for us to have been able to go toe-to-toe with them is great. But it’s not enough because we want to win it so we have to find a different edge and now that we are here we are going to win it. And to do that, excellence is the only thing that is going to take you where we want to go.”
Arsenal have had their wobble - drawing their last three games - at just the wrong time and it has coincided with an injury to William Saliba who is not just a crucial defender but also a player with pace and strong build-up play from the back.
But it is easy to forget how far Arsenal have come. Arsenal’s last trip to the Etihad in the Premier League in August 2021 ended in a 5-0 defeat, they were bottom of the table after three games and Arteta was under huge pressure.
Arteta added: “Five years ago if somebody told me we would be in this position, Pep at City and me at Arsenal, and going toe-to-toe to them… it’s a beautiful experience.
Arsenal were thrashed on their last Premier League visit to City“We knew from the beginning that City was the team to beat with Liverpool because of what those teams have done in the past few years. They fully deserve that credit and to be at the top. We wanted to close that gap as much as we could and we’re toe-to-toe with them.
Everton chiefs face transfer backlash from fans after deadline day disaster
“We knew we had to go to the Etihad, we know that after that we’re going to have five more difficult games. We know it is going to be a massive game. Is it going to define the season? The answer is no.
“Yes, injuries for us in the wrong moments, losing three or four players, is not great, but we have to adapt. If you want to win the Championship you have to go through those moments and somehow overcome that situation. We have to show that now.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
