Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his disappointment at seeing Liverpool secure the Premier League title, admitting it has been a “painful” experience after his own team’s title challenge fell short for the third consecutive season.
Liverpool’s dominant 5-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday placed them beyond the reach of their closest rivals, Arsenal, with four games remaining in the season.
This marks another setback for Arsenal, who have consistently pushed Manchester City in the title race over the past two seasons but have ultimately been unable to clinch the top spot.
Arteta offered his congratulations to Liverpool for their deserved triumph, but he did not shy away from expressing the hurt he felt. “I understand that they are a team that is being more consistent and they have a lot of ingredients that you need to win it, but it’s very painful,” he stated on Friday.
The Spaniard further added, “I take the opportunity as well to congratulate Liverpool and what they’ve done in the manner that they’ve done, how consistent they’ve been. And I think they fully deserve to win it. They were the better team. They had so many attributes. They had consistently their squad available. And we’re going to try again. But up to that moment next season, now we’re going to have to finish the season very strong.”
Arsenal’s last Premier League title victory was in 2004, during Arsene Wenger’s reign. This season, their title aspirations have been hampered by a significant injury crisis, with six first-team players currently sidelined.
Arteta highlighted the extent of the problem, recalling his shock before their recent 1-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final first leg, where Thomas Partey was also suspended. “I was very shocked just before the game against PSG at home because I was walking into the dressing room and suddenly I saw all of them together sitting,” he recounted, listing injured players Takehiro Tomiyasu, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes, Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Jorginho. “I said, ‘That’s a starting line-up’. And we don’t have them. We haven’t had them for many, many months. And then I felt joy about the team and what they are doing and how they’re trying and nobody’s talking about it in the building at all.”
Looking ahead, with Arsenal hosting Bournemouth on Saturday, Arteta stated that securing second place in the Premier League is now their primary objective. Arsenal currently hold a five-point lead over third-placed Newcastle with four games remaining, and the top five teams are set to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
