Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to showcase their “teeth” next season if want to win achieve bigger success as a club next season.
Kai Havertz netted a 89th minute winner as Arsenal came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, after Takehiro Tomiyasu cancelled out Idrissa Gueye’s free-kick.
The win however proved in vain as Manchester City beat West Ham 3-1 to win the Premier League title to become the first team to win a record four consecutive top-flight titles.
Speaking post-match to the media, Arteta congratulated City – where he previously was Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager but iterated that he has a regret that Arsenal failed to win the title for the supporters despite having achieved a record-breaking season within various club statistics.
The Spaniard however paid tribute to the fans for their support but reflected that this is a chance for the club as a whole to learn and build upon going into next season – after Arsenal Women fell short in the Women’s Super League this season.
“When you look at it, the atmosphere they created, how they are behind the team and the players, it’s unbelievable. It’s a little bit of a sad day but looking at it with perspective, we have to understand what we are doing. Hopefully we can still be better.
“Now we have to stop and reflect on why these things are happening and all the decisions that we made and the progress that we are making in the club, and not only the men’s team, which is really encouraging.”
“Now we need to show our teeth – you really want to win it, now we have to make another step forward, be very aggressive, very determined and find ways to be better than our opponents.”
Arteta proceeded to credit supporters for the team’s improvement especially from a psychological perspective.
“They’ve been unbelievable, they are so inspiring,” continued Arteta. “I think they’ve taken this group of players and transformed them into a different level, because they feel confident, they feel respected, they feel loved.
“That’s a real power to have, so home and away, I think they’ve been incredible and today was just a joy to stand there in front of our people, living this team that for many years, we haven’t had the chance to live.”
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