Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admits he is still not over the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title last season
- Mikel Arteta is not yet over the disappointment of missing out on the title last season
- Arteta hopes that frustration can be used as motivation in this campaign
- Arteta said he had doubts about starting his coaching career at Manchester City
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he is still reeling from the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title last season.
Arteta’s side were eight points ahead of the top in January, but eventually lost the title to Manchester City.
The Arsenal boss emphasized that he wants to use the frustration from the end of last season as extra motivation for the new season.
Speak against GQ magazineArteta said, “I don’t know if I got over it, and probably I don’t want to because I need it to get better.”
“There are certain things you have to have to win the title. We had a lot, but it wasn’t enough.’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he doesn’t want to miss out on the Premier League title
Arteta said he believes his Arsenal side is capable of winning the league this season
Arsenal have been very active in the summer transfer window, securing deals for Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
Arteta believes his team is capable of going one step further this season and winning the title.
He said, ‘If not, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I like to win, but we have to earn to win.’
“The day I decided to become a manager I had to make one thing clear: I don’t know if I will be fired tomorrow, in a month or in a year, but it will happen,” he said. say. “I don’t want to leave my job with the fear of ‘What if?’
GQ’s piece on Arteta mentioned the 150-year-old olive tree he planted on the property between his office and the training field.
Arteta previously revealed that he brings an olive tree to the club’s team meetings to “show that growth only comes when the roots are nurtured.”
It’s not the only way he’s tried to reduce stress levels, rather he brought in a chocolate Labrador named Win to improve the team’s togetherness.
He also has a poster on the wall of his office on which the word “enjoy” is written in capital letters.
Arteta also told GQ about the influence City manager Pep Guardiola had on him.
After becoming City assistant manager in 2016, Arteta doubted whether he was ready for the job. However, Guardiola gave him confidence that he could succeed.
Arteta says Pep Guardiola gave him confidence that he was ready for a coaching career
Arteta stressed that money alone in football is not enough to guarantee success
Looking back on his playing career, Arteta says winning the FA Cup in 2014 was a special moment
“He really took care of me from the start and from that day on I got really attached to him.”
He remembers Guardiola telling him, “You’re ready. If you don’t (take the job), I’ll beat you up.”
The GQ interview also revealed how he read books on decision making. These include Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink and Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Oliver Sibony and Cass Sunstein.
While high-profile players have headed to Saudi Arabia this summer, such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahez and Jordan Henderson, Arteta is adamant that money isn’t everything when it comes to success.
Referring to Manchester City’s recent treble, Arteta said: “You don’t do that with money, believe me. There are many right decisions(s) to be so demanding and so smart at certain times. Money can’t buy everything.’
Reflecting on his playing career, Arteta says winning the FA Cup with Arsenal in 2014, ending the club’s nine-year drought, was a memorable moment.
He said: ‘It was a great moment to win the FA Cup after nine years without a trophy. Arsene (Wenger) was having a really hard time and it was the petrol everyone lit to do more for him, to prove people wrong. He never asked for it, but we wanted to do it right for him.’