Arsenal head into a season-defining week with a crucial game in the Premier League title race against Fulham, ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are ‘hungry’ for trophies (Image: Beanyman Sports)
Mikel Arteta has insisted Arsenal have learned from the painful lessons of the past and are “hungry” to end their trophy drought.
The Gunners are still in the running for two silver medals, but have two crucial games in the next four days, against Fulham and Atlético Madrid. Arteta admitted it’s all about getting his team to the goal line at the moment, rather than producing some brilliant football in the other semi-final, a thrilling nine-goal clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
The Arsenal manager says it was one of the best games he has ever seen, but says the main difference between those clubs and his team is the injury list and fatigue from a tough Premier League season.
Arsenal would take a big step towards the title and Champions League glory if they win both games, but the red flags are there for everyone to see.
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In the 2023/24 season, they lost the title to Aston Villa between two games against Bayern Munich. Last season they lost to Bournemouth between two semi-final games against Paris Saint-Germain. The same thing happened last month when they lost to Bournemouth in the quarter-finals against Sporting Lisbon. We cannot afford to make any more mistakes against Fulham.
“Hunger. Hunger to win. That’s it. To compete, to prepare and to achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the season. Focus on Fulham and hunger. Hunger to play, hunger to compete, hunger to win and hunger to get closer to achieving the dream. That’s what it’s all about,” Arteta said.
“I think it’s all about preparation. I’ve been here for nine and a half months so I’m used to it and I know I can only focus on one game.”
“There are enough difficulties and challenges in that game that there is no use in thinking differently, so the immediate reaction from the players was: ‘Well, it’s Fulham, it’s Fulham from now on.'” We just have to focus on Fulham and we’ll take care of the rest. ”
Arteta and Arsenal head into a season-defining week (Image: Dan Mullan, Getty Images)
Arsenal’s injury list is growing, with Kai Havertz hoping to play against Atlético but ruled out against Fulham. Julian Timber is working hard to play again this season after failing to train hard following a groin injury.
Martin Odegaard’s lingering knee problems have flared up again, which is a worry as Arteta says his players need to push themselves as the club stands on the brink of history. But Arteta also spoke about how PSG and Bayern were able to create a spectacle. That was due to one important reason: all the players were healthy.
“If you look at Bayern vs. PSG, it’s probably the best game I’ve ever seen in terms of the quality of both teams and especially the quality of the individual players. I’ve never seen a game like this,” Arteta said.
“But when you look at the minutes and the freshness of these players, I’m not surprised. You have to be very fresh to provide that much quality and the difference in the league and the way they compete is night and day. And you just have to look at a lot of the recent stats on that. We’re comparing two different worlds.
Arsenal could still win both the Champions League and Premier League this term (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
“They have all the players available and they are at their best and fit. The other night when we talked about the other two teams (PSG and Bayern Munich), yes, how many players were available? Everyone was at their best. That’s the most important thing.”
“I would like to think about the very difficult comebacks we went through to win. But yes, you can learn from the positive games and other games. We know we want to win every game, but it’s very difficult to achieve that.”
“From the moment the final whistle rang for Atlético, we have prepared as best as possible. We have done everything possible to give us the best chance to recover, to bring the right energy and to prepare for the game in the right way.”
There was also a clear message to Odegaard and his importance to the team for the run-in and Arsenal’s chances of glory. Arteta added: “He’s the captain for a reason. He’s got the personality, the aura and the way he acts and raises standards and it’s great to see that. And he does that in any situation.”
“He’s also a player who brings a lot of energy to the team, because he’s always working hard, he’s always focused, he’s always demanding. He’s not someone who needs to talk all the time because he values action more than talk, but I think when he speaks he’s very influential.”
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