Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says his side have had “an incredible journey” but “must recover” after falling short in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners’ defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday confirmed Manchester City as champions for a third consecutive season, with Arteta and his players left wondering what could have been.
After a flying start to the season, Arsenal were eight points clear at the top of the table after 18 games and held the same lead over City at the start of April, albeit with a game in hand.
However, a run of just two wins in their last eight games has given Pep Guardiola’s side the chance to overhaul them and clinch the title with three games remaining.
“I can’t think about it now. We have to congratulate City,” Arteta told JEE News.
“It’s been an incredible journey for us over 10 months to compete with City, ahead of them for so long.
“We’ve learned a huge lesson. We’ve changed a lot at this club. We’ve made huge strides, but the icing on the cake is winning a championship and we fell short.”
Arsenal have led for 248 days of the 2022-23 season, the most in English top-flight history without being in first place.
After such a dramatic drop-off, Arteta is now looking for a way to energize his squad for the final game of the season and beyond.
“This is football. It’s a very sad day, we’ve been working with this goal for 11 months and have been on top for so many days,” he told JEE News. “We have competed but we have not had enough.
“Now we have to be fine. It hurts a lot. I have to find a way to lift the players and we have a tough week ahead of us.”
‘It was our own doing’
While City have enjoyed an impressive 11-game run in the Premier League, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale believes Arsenal’s downfall was of their own making.
“We had a few games where we dropped points through individual mistakes. Those three or four games are where it went wrong,” he said.
“The dust won’t settle until the summer. We’re very disappointed with how it turned out but proud that we pushed all the way.
“In six seasons a team has beaten Manchester City to win the title. But it was our own doing, individual mistakes in games we should have won.”
The Gunners conceded 16 goals in the eight-game spell that ultimately cost them the title as they struggled to cope with form and fitness issues among key players. While Arteta took the blame, he also pointed to a lack of quality depth within the squad.
“I’m sorry. I believed we could do it, the team didn’t and that’s my responsibility,” said the 41-year-old.
“When you come into April and May, you need 24 players to go. For a lot of reasons, we didn’t.”
‘If Man City smell blood it’s game over’
After finishing fifth last season, Arsenal have exceeded expectations by challenging at the top of the table for so long.
However, having put themselves in such a strong position in the final two months of the season, has Arteta’s side come under pressure with Arsenal’s first league title since 2004?
“There’s no doubt it’s been very difficult for them in the last few weeks – and I think it’s been about mentality,” former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told JEE News.
“I think there is an element of throwing the title away because of the nature of the defeats in the games.
“The biggest moments in the most pressured environment, you have to deliver in those moments and I always doubted this Arsenal team.”
Former Scotland midfielder Charlie Adam added: “What they’ve done so far is better than what they’ve done before.
“But they’ve been on top for so long and they’ve thrown it away. There’s no hiding it.”
Although Arsenal have made mistakes, there is an acceptance that they have come against a relentless City side.
