Coach Arteta still dreams of winning the Premier League

Round 36, Man City won 3-0 at Everton, and Arsenal lost 0-3 to Brighton at the Emirates. Mikel Arteta's army therefore stomped on the spot with 81 points, four points behind and one more game than Man City. They are also far behind the top team in terms of difference (+41 and +61). Thus, to be crowned this season, Arsenal must win the two closing rounds, and hope Man City only won one point from the last three matches. This possibility is very unlikely, considering the current form.

However, coach Arteta emphasized Arsenal can still squeeze through the narrow door and will continue to fight. "Arsenal have proven their position as title contenders this season and still have two games to go," he said on May 19 in a press conference before the penultimate round against Nottingham Forest. "We've been ahead of probably the best club in Premier League history for 10 months and still can win. We won't give up in the last two rounds, that's for sure."

According to the Spanish coach, the 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final shows the level of Man City, as well as the level and quality of clubs in the English Premier League. However, he affirmed that Man City has the ability to win 105 or 110 points but cannot forever win the championship, and is proud when Arsenal compete fairly and even rank above the opponent for most of the time, even though the pre-season only booked aim for the top 4.

In early April, Arsenal used to hold the advantage when they were eight points higher than second in the Man City table. But falling in five games in the sprint made them almost run out of championship hopes. Before that, they were also eliminated by Sporting in the 1/8 round of the Europa League. Arteta admits Arsenal's squad is not deep enough to distribute strength and play well in both the Premier League and Europa League this season, so it must improve a lot when it comes back to the Champions League next season. According to the 41-year-old coach, Arsenal have made great strides but must continue to raise their standards, be smarter and invest wisely when the transfer window opens.

Arteta admitted the defeat to Brighton was a difficult result to swallow, especially the performance in the second half of the second half. He added: "Pain is part of football, when you don't win or don't perform right. You have to use that pain to progress and find answers and solutions to get back on track. That's what we're trying to do every day."

Also in the press conference, Arteta confirmed Gabriel Martinelli, Oleksandr Zinchenko injured and out for the season, declined to comment on Granit Xhaka's future and praised Aaron Ramsdale as worthy of a new contract. The English goalkeeper kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season and has just extended it until the summer of 2026.