Mikel Arteta has pledged Arsenal will rejoin battle with Manchester City for the Premier League title next season and “bare our teeth” as they seek to further shrink the closing gap between the teams.
A 2-1 win against Everton was not enough for the Gunners on Sunday after City beat West Ham to win the league by two points. After taking the title race to the final day, however, the Arsenal manager said he was ready to redouble his efforts to overhaul what he called the best side in the history of the Premier League.
“First of all congratulations to City for winning the Premier League,” Arteta said, before quickly going on to praise his players: “It’s unbelievable what they’ve done. Since December we’ve been on [an] incredible journey with every performance at the highest level we’ve seen and it still wasn’t enough.”
Asked to reflect on where the title was decided, Arteta singled out April’s 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa, a game he believed his team should have had wrapped up by half-time.
“The first half should have been 4-0, but these are the margins, they are so small,” he said. “This is the lesson the club should take because we’re doing it against the best team in the history of the Premier League by far.
“I was there [at City] when we did 100 points and I know what it takes,” Arteta said of the challenge ahead. “No one has to explain to me what the level is because I was there for four years and I know what you have to do. We are on the right trajectory, now we have to bare our teeth and bite into it because it’s the only way.”
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Asked for details on Arsenal’s summer plans, Arteta predictably demurred. “We need to rest, have a beautiful holiday. Everyone has used every single drop of energy and passion, so now we need to rest and after that we think with clarity. Tonight I’ll have a good dinner with family and friends and then spend some time with staff and players.”
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Pressed on possible recruitment this summer, the Spaniard said: “The first and most important job [will be]: how I am going to get these players to a higher level? But we’re also going to have to do every thing we can to fill those gaps. If we do what we have to do, we will get closer, and we will win it.”