Despite a narrow 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Mikel Arteta has insisted that belief within the Arsenal dressing room is stronger than ever. The Arsenal manager revealed that his players emerged from the loss more convinced of their ability to claim the Premier League title, even as the race tightens dramatically.
Erling Haaland struck the decisive goal to secure City’s victory, cutting Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to just three points. With Pep Guardiola’s side holding a game in hand, they will move above the Gunners on goal difference should they overcome Burnley in midweek. Yet Arteta refused to dwell on the shifting standings, instead focusing on the resilience shown by his team.
“I believe today, I believed on Wednesday, a week ago because I see them every day and I know the level that we have,” Arteta said. “But today if [the players] need to be more convinced, I think they are now more convinced. They were talking about it in the dressing room.
“It’s a new league now. They have a game in hand. We have three points of advantage and five games to play. So everything is still to play for.
“We’re not going to stop and we’re going to go again, that’s for sure.”
The Spaniard was equally dismissive of any suggestion that he would need to lift his squad’s spirits heading into the final stretch of the campaign. Arsenal have endured a difficult run of four defeats in six matches, yet Arteta maintained that no motivational intervention is required.
“I mean if I have to pick the players to win the Premier League with five games to go in our hands and be in the final of the Champions League, I think I should be at home,” he said. “So it’s not the case. It’s not needed. It’s never been needed, even in difficult moments.”
Arsenal’s performance at the Etihad offered genuine encouragement. They fell behind early when Rayan Cherki danced into the box and beat David Raya, but responded within two minutes as Kai Havertz charged down a clearance from Gianluigi Donnarumma. For large periods, the visitors matched City and created clear opportunities, only to be let down by a lack of clinical finishing — most notably Havertz powering a stoppage-time header over the bar from Leandro Trossard’s superb cross.
Arteta was proud of the way his side approached the contest but acknowledged the fine margins that decided the outcome.
“We came here to win the game,” he said. “I think the message was clear from three days before. We prepared to do that, to take the game to the areas that we believe we could win it.
“We certainly done that, even though we started the game with a goal down and psychologically we had to play with that. We’ve done it. So we proved that we are there.
“But the reality is in the two boxes today was a difference and that’s what decided the game.”
As the Premier League enters its decisive phase, Arsenal must now reset ahead of Newcastle United’s visit to the Emirates next weekend. The message from the dressing room, however, is clear: the title race remains wide open, and the Gunners’ belief — far from shaken — has only been reinforced by the character they displayed in Manchester. With five games left and everything still to play for, Arteta’s side are ready to go again.