Mikel Arteta defends Arsenal after back-to-back defeats and insists the Gunners are ‘fully focused’ on re-taking Premier League top spot by beating Wolves
- Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal against criticism despite back-to-back defeats
- After losses to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, the Gunners next travel to Wolves
- Hope is not lost for Arsenal and it is wrong for Oleksandr Zinchenko to be a scapegoat: Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal despite back-to-back defeats that have halted the Gunners’ momentum at home and in Europe.
Arsenal relinquished top spot in the Premier League after a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, leaving Manchester City above them in the table despite having plenty of chances to score.
On Wednesday, Joshua Kimmich scored a second-half header to send Bayern Munich through to the semi-finals of the Champions League at the Gunners’ expense.
Arteta admitted this week ‘wasn’t the best experience’ but said Arsenal were not looking back but remained glued to the title race at home – starting with Saturday’s trip to Gary O’Neil’s Wolves which would put them back on top bring with a victory.
“Now we are completely focused on the tires ahead of us,” said Arteta, according to the Mirror. ‘We are a game behind City and we are really going to try. This is often because the margins we compete with are determined in May.
Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal despite back-to-back defeats halting their pursuit of trophies
A dismal 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa meant they missed the chance to top the league
Gunners were then eliminated from the Champions League after a 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich
‘For that you have to be extremely consistent. We should have won the game against Villa and we paid the price for missing our chances. Now it’s not about us talking too much, we have to show what we have in Wolves
‘The context is clear. If we win, we’ll be on top. If you need anything else to get motivated and if you need anything else to keep your mind clear, then you have a problem.”
When asked if he should rotate more, Arteta admitted: ‘It is a possibility. That always happens when you lose a match. When we beat Brighton no one asked these questions. That is part of our industry.
‘It has been a very intense journey. When you’re near the top and fighting at that level, you know you’re going to do that. This job constantly tests your resilience and your ego.
‘You must always go through this in a natural and positive way. The better you get and the closer you get to competing against the best teams in history, you know what the margins are. If you are, you can go one of two ways.
Arteta said they should have beaten Aston Villa but were fully focused on beating Wolves
‘There is only one winner. “If you want to go from seven years out of the Champions League to two years fighting for the league, I can’t think of any other team that has done that.”
Arsenal play Wolves on Saturday evening and Chelsea three days later, before Man City return to the league with their match against Brighton on Thursday evening.
