Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has taken “responsibility” for Arsenal’s defeat at Nottingham Forest, which ended their Premier League title ambitions.
Taiwo Awoniyi’s fifth goal in three matches secured Forest’s top-flight survival but consequently ended Arsenal’s title dreams as Manchester City were crowned champions for the third consecutive season.
Reflecting upon the defeat which cost them their title dreams after spending the majority of this season at the summit, Arteta described the result as “a really sad day” with “difficult emotions.”
The Spaniard however took heart from the imagination that the team created amongst supporters, as he commented: “I know that we have built an illusion, enthusiasm and belief that we could go all the way and win it, and we fell short.
“So congratulations to Manchester City, they’re the champions and they deserve to be the champions. They’ve done it for 38 games and we haven’t been able to do that.”
Arteta subsequently vowed to take responsibility for their imploded title dreams as he continued: “That’s it, and from my side I apologise because we have generated belief that we could do it, and at the end the team wasn’t able to do it, and that is my responsibility.”
On the prospect of mounting another title tilt next season, Arteta has vowed to “find a way to do that” amidst the “sadness” of seeing this season’s title fight ended at Forest.
Arteta proceeded to explain what he wanted to achieve this season, as he added: “We wanted to squeeze everything that we had out of that group and find alternatives and ways to reach certain levels, and when we don’t we try in other ways.
“We fell short and it is my job and my responsibility and I have to analyse that and think.”
Defensive injuries and a dip in performances though have frustrated Arsenal in recent weeks, which Arteta pointed to as behind the downfall of their title challenge, as he said: “When you come to April and May, you need 24 players that are available, fit and playing at their best, full of confidence and ready to go.
“For many reasons, we haven’t had that. Then there are key moments in the league that define whether the moment goes there or there, and we didn’t have those margins going on our side. I think that’s the reason that we lost it.”
Expanding upon where exactly the Gunners began to loosen their grip on a first league title since 2004, Arteta pointed to their draws at Liverpool and West Ham, as he continued: “It started with what happened at Anfield in the 90th minute and we give it away and then you go to West Ham and you can make it 3-1 and that’s going to change.
“We have conceded a lot of goals, we have given 16 goals away in those matches, it’s a lot, you know a lot, you cannot sustain that. To win in this league you have to be exceptional at everything, because there are no margins.
“That team doesn’t give you any margins and we have extended those margins too much and that’s how we lost the league.”
Arteta though is proud of how his team battled City hard across the season but has vowed that Arsenal will “find another way” to advance to a higher quality level, in order to avoid more “painful” days like at Forest.
On next season’s target in order to avoid a repeat fate, Arteta has one simple goal in mind: “I’m here to win, I want to win, I love winning, I love what everybody does at this club to win, these people deserve to win, and when you don’t get there it’s painful, this is how I feel today.
“I value a lot what the players have done, everybody here, but when you are there it’s the next step, you have to win and we fell short.”
Leave a Reply