Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s pride has been reinforced rather than damaged by recent defeats, as the manager called Bournemouth a “big day” in the title race.
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s recent setbacks have reinforced the pride and identity of his side rather than damaged them, with the manager urging his players and supporters to treat Saturday’s meeting with Bournemouth as a “big day”.
Arsenal return to Premier League action after defeats to Manchester City and Southampton, but Arteta made clear he has been encouraged by the way his squad reacted. “I think it’s a balance,” he said. “It’s better to observe first, to see the natural reaction, to see what we are made of, to see what the first instinct is, collective and individually from the players, and then you can intervene based on that. But to be fair, they didn’t need much because their reaction was top.”
That response clearly mattered to him. Arteta said the key had been the players’ understanding of why Arsenal had lost those matches and how they intended to “put it right”, adding that the performance against Sporting was already evidence of the right reaction.
The Arsenal manager also underlined the importance of the Bournemouth game in the context of the title race. Asked about the chance to go 12 points clear, he said: “The closer we get, the relevance and importance of the match increases obviously, and tomorrow is a big day for us. The players know it, our supporters know it.” Arteta then delivered a more unusual message directly to the crowd: “It’s an early kick-off, so get up early, have an early breakfast, bring your lunch, bring your dinner, and let’s go all together for it because it has to be a big day.”
Arteta’s strongest comments, though, came when he was asked whether Arsenal’s pride had been tested by difficult moments. “I think reinforced,” he said. “Because that talks about your culture and the identity of this club and the team.” He added that those qualities are only truly defined by going through “different scenarios, different moments, individually and collectively”.
He also praised the reaction of Arsenal’s supporters in tougher periods. “They’ve always been with the team regardless of the situation and that’s great to see in football,” he said. “I think that attitude and that behaviour and that unity gives you more will to win for them.”
Arteta was equally firm on the bigger picture. “A lot,” he said when asked how much belief he had that Arsenal could still win the Premier League and the Champions League. “Because I see them every single day and first of all, the capacity that we have as a club and as a team, the will to win, and we recognise the opportunity ahead.”
For Arteta, then, Bournemouth is not simply the next fixture. It is a test of response, energy and belief. And in his view, Arsenal have already shown enough to suggest the recent defeats have strengthened that mindset rather than weakened it.