Mikel Arteta reveals very little about himself in interviews, but what he makes no effort to hide is how much he wants the Premier League title.
May not be in Arsenal‘s after slipping up against Aston Villa, but their 5-0 comeback against Chelsea this week was spectacular – and he still believes his team are “100%” in with a chance of being crowned champions.
The last time they lifted the elusive trophy was two decades ago, in the “Invincibles” season, when they went undefeated in the league.
And the Gunners boss says this time they have an “unbelievable desire” to win the Premier League title once again.
Arsenal celebrate their 5-0 victory over London rivals Chelsea. Photo: AP
Speaking to Sky News, Arteta said he was “really enjoying… fighting to win important trophies and being involved with the best teams in the world”, as Manchester City and Liverpool face Arsenal at the top of the heap.
Despite it being an exciting end to the season, Arteta said that to avoid nerves, the team talks about “all the positive things” they have, saying: “We’ve earned the right to be here.”
Mikel Arteta. Photo: AP
The Spaniard continued: “We can look at it from all angles, from all statistics, we deserve to be where we are and we have done that for nine months and we can do it in the last three weeks.
“It’s on us and we’re going to make sure we can do everything we can.”
Arsenal have won the most games this season of any Premier League team (24), scored the most goals in the division (82) and conceded the fewest (26) – but Manchester City are still favorites for the title, according to the Squawka football website.
Manchester City is behind Arsenal. Photo: AP
Pep Guardiola’s team have a game in hand over Arsenal, are one point behind and have a squad full of talent.
But Arsenal also have a strong squad and players in all positions scoring goals, as Arteta said they were not tired despite the intensity of the match.
He said, “When you’re fighting for what we’re fighting for, there’s no room for [tiredness]. I think if I asked any player, ‘Do you want to play?’, he would be knocking on my door.”
Arsenal face their biggest rivals on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur, and Arteta said the match gives the team “extra motivation” given the fierce history of the game and how much it means to their fans.
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Turning his attention away from football, Arteta admitted that the title race means it has not been an “easy thing” to put work aside.
But the 42-year-old former Arsenal midfielder says his family, wife and three children have the “superpower” to take him off work more than anything else.
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And asked who he would like to sing at Arsenal’s final match of the season, Arteta said he would give the players the honor of choosing an artist – but when pressed, opted for Bon Jovi.
Arteta has so far won the FA Cup with Arsenal since taking over as manager in 2019.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
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