(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Mikel Arteta has pledged that Arsenal will bounce back even stronger, determined to clinch the Premier League title after enduring heartbreak for the second consecutive season.
Despite securing a dramatic 2-1 victory over Everton on the final day, Manchester City's 3-1 triumph against West Ham sealed their fourth consecutive championship, leaving the Gunners in disappointment.
The prospect of last-day drama seemed slim from the start, and any remaining hopes dwindled further as Manchester City quickly notched two goals.
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Despite Idrissa Gueye's deflected free-kick giving Arsenal a momentary lead at the Emirates in the 40th minute, Takehiro Tomiyasu swiftly equalized. Meanwhile, West Ham managed to trim the deficit at the Etihad around the same time. However, there were no late twists in the tale, sealing City's title triumph without any dramatic finale.
In the dying moments, Kai Havertz's simple tap-in provided a consolation for the Gunners, capping off a remarkable season with a total of 89 points. This achievement underscored further progress under the guidance of their Spanish coach, who remains steadfast in his determination to propel the squad even higher in the upcoming season.
"First of all congrats to Manchester City for winning the Premier League," Arteta said.
"Today some mixed emotions. First of all, to be really proud of the staff and those players. They've done an incredible job and they have pushed every limit and every margin that we could to try to win this Premier League.
Unfortunately, it a bit short and we couldn't deliver the prize that we wanted," the Arsenal manager added.
Arteta further stated, "They (City) took it away from us. It's the second season. There's only one way to do it - you have to be more determined, you have to be more ambitious, you have to have a lot of courage and push every limit in everything that we have. That's the next step."
"If we do what we have to do, we're going to be closer and at the end we'll win it. When? I don't know, but if we keep knocking and being that close, in the end it will happen," he said.
Arsenal had been near flawless in the league since the start of the year, securing their 16th victory out of 18 games in 2024. However, their pursuit of perfection stumbled in two key fixtures. The goalless draw at the Etihad was particularly pivotal, as it ultimately allowed Pep Guardiola's side to snatch the title by a mere two points. Yet, Mikel Arteta highlighted the 2-0 loss to Aston Villa last month as even more significant in hindsight.
Additionally, Arteta pointed out the significance of a late miss by Tottenham's captain, Heung-Min Son, in their recent defeat to City.
"For sure, Aston Villa at home. In the first half it should have been 4-0. Maybe the story would have been different.
What happened last Tuesday, maybe we could have been champions.
These are the margins that are so, so, so small. That's the credit that the club and the team should take. We're doing this against the best team in the history of the Premier League by far," Arteta said.
Asked if it might take 100 points to win the title, former City assistant Arteta admitted, "Yeah. But I was there when we did 100 points (in 2017-18) so I know what it takes. I know what happened and this is the level.
No-one has to explain what the level is because I was there four years every day and I know what we have to do if we are going to reach there. Not only for one season, but for the rest."
"We are on the right path, the right journey and to see the evolution so quickly happening, I haven't seen it before.
So we're on the right trajectory and now we need to really pull the teeth and bite into it because we really want more," the Arsenal boss added.
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