Mikel Arteta feels that if we’re to lift the Premier League title in a few weeks’ time, we’re going to have to clinch a victory at the home of our arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
One of the most gripping title races in recent times looks set to go down to the wire, and although Liverpool stumbled in midweek by losing to Everton, Manchester City’s 4-0 success over Brighton & Hove Albion means there is little room for error in the race to claim the top prize on May 19.
Many are predicting that with City holding a game in hand up their sleeve, we’re going to have to be perfect between now and the end of the campaign if we’re to end our 20-year wait to be champions. Mikel doesn’t disagree, which means this particular north London derby takes on even more significance for Gooners everywhere.
On the battle at the Premier League summit, the boss said: “We are there. We have to look at ourselves and try to perform in the best possible way to win our matches and I can’t wait to see what happens. I think this league is tremendously demanding and there can be still a lot of turns.
“We all know how difficult it is to win games in this league. We had a big one in the last London derby against Chelsea and now we have another big one. I’m sure if we’re going to [win the league], we’re going to have to beat Spurs as well.”
For the second consecutive year, we are in the championship mix heading into the campaign’s latter stages, which bodes well for future challenges as our young, hungry squad continue to develop under the Spaniard’s watchful eye.
However, Mikel is keen to try and seize the opportunity to make history now rather than later. He feels it can be done due to the commitment to the cause his squad are showing, with everyone trying to raise standards heading into the final straight so we’ll be ready to pounce should an opportunity to claim the trophy arise.
“We are fully focused on this [season] because of what’s at stake. We really want to get the job done,” Mikel added. “We know that it’s a very young team with a really bright future and still a lot of room for improvement and we will try to keep developing it.
“We’ve [challenged for the title] two years in a row, but we’re not satisfied with that. We want to win it, and we’re going to do everything that we can to win it. If we do win it, we’ll try again to win it, and if we don’t, for sure, we’ll try again.
“[The players] need to enjoy the moment, and try to navigate this in a natural way. They are super competitive at the moment, everything we’re doing in the training sessions is to compete, compete and compete.
“That’s a really good sign, because we know what we’re going to have to do if we want to win it. We have to raise the bar every day in training to try to match that, so that when we play our games, we’re ready.”
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