Mikel Arteta and Arsenal open the door to Manchester City after crushing defeat at Bournemouth – with the Spaniard fearing another near-miss in the Premier League
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal could miss out on the title race again
Mikel Arteta faces the possibility of becoming the first player in history to finish second on the bounce four times after Arsenal were eliminated from the Premier League title race.
He watched on as the Gunners were stunned by Bournemouth. Bournemouth came to the Emirates and left with all three points for the second season in a row. This means Manchester City can become champions if they win all their remaining games.
One of those will be next week against Arsenal at the Etihad, a venue Arteta has never won since taking charge of Arsenal more than six years ago.
The Spaniard has received huge praise for leading Arsenal into a team that can challenge for trophies again. But he has fended off a lot of criticism for failing to get his team over the line – last winning a silver medal in 2020.
Arteta could now become the first manager to finish runners-up four years in a row, as Arsenal look to prevent a late-season collapse.
read more: Premier League supercomputer predicts Arsenal unlikely to win title after recent defeatsread more: Mikel Arteta to remove Arsenal star from potential replacements as he is ‘not performing to his full potential’
In Premier League history, only Arteta and Arsene Wenger have scored a hat-trick while finishing second. The Frenchman achieved similar results in 1999, 2000 and 2001. But they were sandwiched between league titles.
Arteta is now on the brink of becoming the first man since Wenger to lead Arsenal to top-flight victory. However, after losing against the Cherries, City face another near miss as they look to close the gap and take advantage of the games they have.
Prior to Mikel Arteta’s recent results, Arsene Wenger was the only manager to finish second in the bounce three years in a row (Image: Getty Images)
Despite their impressive performances for the majority of the season, there remains a realistic chance that Arsenal could end up without a trophy. That’s despite the fact that just a few weeks ago, some people were touting a historic quad.
That was before losing to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and losing to Southampton in the FA Cup last eight. They remain well placed in the Champions League, but the likes of Bayern Munich and PSG are also firmly in their sights.
Arteta admitted after the defeat to Bournemouth that his players must find the stomach to fight or lose face.
He told TNT Sports: “It’s going to hurt. They’ve got to take it on the chin. Get up and go and fight or you’re out. It’s a big week. There’s a lot at stake. We’re still in a good position in both competitions.”
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