Mikel Arteta gives very little of himself away in interviews but what he makes no effort to hide is how much he wants this Premier league title.
It may not be in Arsenal‘s hands after slipping up against Aston Villa but the 5-0 bounce back 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 their “Invincibles” season when they went unbeaten in the league.
And the Gunners’ boss says they have an “unbelievable desire” this time around to clinch the Premier League title once again.
Speaking to Sky News, Arteta said he was “really enjoying… fighting to win major trophies and being involved with the best teams in the world”, as Manchester City and Liverpool battle it out with Arsenal at the top of the pile.
Despite it being a nail-biting finish to the season, Arteta said to avoid jangling nerves the team talks about “all the positive things” they have, saying: “We have earned the right to be here.”
The Spaniard continued: “We can look from every angle, every stat, we deserve to be where we are and we’ve done it for nine months and we can do it for the last three weeks.
“It’s on us and we’re gonna make sure we can do everything that we can.”
Arsenal have won the most games this season out of all the Premier League sides (24), scored the most goals in the division (82), and conceded the fewest (26) – but Manchester City are still title favourites according to football site Squawka.
Pep Guardiola’s side have one game in hand over Arsenal, are one point behind and have a squad replete with talent.
But Arsenal too have a strong team and players from all positions scoring goals, as Arteta said they were not fatigued despite the intensity of the run-in.
He said: “When you are fighting for what we are fighting for there is no room for [tiredness]. I think if I ask any player, ‘do you want to play?’, they will be knocking on my door.”
Arsenal play their biggest rivals on Sunday in Tottenham Hotspur, and Arteta said the match gives the team “extra motivation” given the fierce history of the fixture and how much it means to their fans.
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Turning his attention away from football, Arteta admitted the title challenge has meant it’s not been an “easy thing” to leave his work at the door.
But the 42-year-old former Arsenal midfielder says his family, wife and three children have the “superpower” to disconnect him from work more than anything else.
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And asked about who he would want to sing at Arsenal’s last match of the season, Arteta said he would give the players the honour to pick an artist – but when pressed settled on Bon Jovi.
Arteta has so far won the FA Cup with Arsenal since taking over as manager in 2019.
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