Sports

Arteta Refutes Claims of Arsenal “Bottling” Title Race Ahead of Crucial Match Against Newcastle

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2023

Arteta Refutes Claims of Arsenal "Bottling" Title Race Ahead of Crucial Match Against Newcastle

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has rejected claims that his side have “bottled” the Premier League title race this season, despite Manchester City’s recent surge to the top of the table.

The Gunners’ recent string of draws, followed by a 4-1 defeat to City, have put an end to their title aspirations, making Sunday’s visit to Newcastle United a must-win game to keep any hopes of lifting the trophy alive.

However, Arteta disagrees with the notion that his team has failed in the title race, stating that they have had 38 tests throughout the season and that their league position is proof of their consistency.

Arteta refuses to accept that Arsenal have thrown the title away in the space of a few games, though.

He said: “I think we have 38 tests – not one or two – during the season. If not, you are not where we are for 10-and-a-half months. But this is my opinion.

“I cannot control what people think. We try to do our best and make our people as proud as possible and try as hard as possible to win the games. That’s what we have to do.

“It’s what happens in this league when you make errors. The teams punish you. Sometimes we get lucky, and they don’t.

“But it happened in the last few games when we have made those errors that the teams have punished us, and it cost us points, that’s for sure.”

Arteta also acknowledged that his team’s recent errors have cost them points, but this is simply a part of the game, with teams often punishing their opponents for their mistakes.

Arsenal’s trip to St James’ Park brings back memories of last season’s disastrous performance which resulted in them losing their grip on a top-four finish.

Arteta’s angry outburst captured in Amazon’s All or Nothing documentary showed his frustration with the team’s collapse and defeat at Newcastle.

However, Arteta is determined not to let history repeat itself and is focused on getting a positive result this weekend.

Last season, the Londoners fluffed a top-four finish with a disastrous performance and defeat at St. James’, allowing rivals Tottenham Hotspur to leapfrog them into the Champions League spots.

And when asked whether that has been him at his angriest, Arteta described the result as ‘difficult’ and will be desperate not to suffer the same fate this weekend.

“I haven’t seen the programme back. I have a few flashbacks of how it was, and it was a difficult game and difficult day, that’s for sure,” the Spaniard explained.

“Maybe yes, maybe I’ve been angrier, but I haven’t expressed it like that. Some days we can do that [get angry] when we win – depending on the performance! Every game is different.”

With only three games left to play, Arsenal’s title challenge is all but over. Still, Arteta’s focus is on securing as many points as possible in the remaining fixtures and ending the season on a high note.

Facebook Comments