The Arsenal manager has demanded 100 per cent concentration from his players as they chase the Premier League title this season, and made the key revelation after the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta claimed he wished his Arsenal players had not learned of Manchester City’s defeat because “mobile phone use was prohibited” at half-time, when the Gunners could have extended their advantage.
Arsenal and City played at the same time on Sunday, kicking off at 2pm, with Josep Guardiola’s side losing to Aston Villa for the third season in a row. They conceded an early goal from Matty Cash but the Midlands were unable to recover.
Meanwhile, the North Londoners defeated Crystal Palace at the Emirates with former Eagles talisman Eberechi Eze scoring the decisive goal. Despite leading Arsenal at the interval, the players were probably unaware that their rivals were also losing at Villa Park.
Arteta does not allow players to check their phones at half-time. In other words, they probably didn’t realize the opportunity in front of them.
“No, I wasn’t aware. I only found out at the end of the game. I think most of the players are as well, but cell phones are not allowed at half-time, so I hope they didn’t know, maybe through the staff. But I think it was a really positive weekend for us, especially because we did what we had to do, and it shows you how difficult the league is and how complicated it is to win these games.”
read more: Former Arsenal star offers different views on Bukayo Saka’s substitute match vs Crystal Palaceread more: The Gunners open up a big gap in the title race with next five games against Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool
Arsenal have been able to take control of the title race in recent weeks thanks to four consecutive wins. Meanwhile, Liverpool lost four games on the bounce and fell to the bottom of the league as a result. Arteta’s side currently lead by seven points.
City’s third loss of the season leaves them six points behind Arsenal, with Bournemouth in second place. The Cherries are the closest team to the Gunners, but are four points behind North Londoners, who are the favorites to ultimately win the title.
Arteta has praised his team’s stability but does not believe their current lead is decisive. At the start of the season, Liverpool were looked down upon, but things quickly changed in Arsenal’s favor.
“We’re here now. It’s to our credit that we’ve been very consistent, but at the same time we know how difficult every game is. It’s still early so there’s no point other than trying to keep doing a lot of things that we do well, but there are things we need to improve on to get a better margin.”
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