Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must put “everything” into their final five Premier League games, starting with Newcastle.
Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal they must go “all in” as they begin what he has framed as a five-game Premier League sprint against Newcastle United.
Arsenal host Newcastle at the Emirates after Manchester City moved above them in the table, leaving Arteta’s side with no room for another slip. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Arsenal manager said the response inside the squad has been clear since the defeat at the Etihad.
“The energy raised, the belief raised,” Arteta said. “I think the clarity of what we have to do, it cannot be better. Five games to go. Tomorrow, game one, all in. Let’s go for it.”
Arteta was also asked about his own view of the title race and whether Arsenal now need to be perfect. His answer was to keep the focus on the immediate task rather than the wider calculations.
“It’s five games to go, four weeks,” he said. “Two big competitions to play for, and everything to play for. If somebody would have told us at the beginning of the season, we would have taken it, and we are so excited. Tomorrow is game one.”
That “game one” message was repeated throughout the press conference. Asked about Arsenal’s chances and the latest title predictions, Arteta said: “Win tomorrow, game one, win, and then we will be much closer.”
He also rejected the idea that his belief comes from numbers or models. “Not in the computer,” Arteta said. “I have belief in our players, in our people, and the willingness that we have to achieve what we want.”
The manager was asked whether the situation now feels like “everything to win” or “everything to lose”. His answer was direct: “Everything to win. We are in the position that we are, playing the two biggest competitions that we had this season, the position that we are in. I think it’s a simple answer.”
There was also a clear message on how Arsenal must approach the final stretch. “Everything to play for, go and grab it,” Arteta said. “That’s it. It’s there to grab it and now we need to do it.”
With goal difference also potentially decisive, Arteta was asked whether Arsenal’s approach could change. He insisted the priority remains performance first.
“The first thing we have to do [is earn] the right to win the game,” he said. “And then win it.”
Newcastle now become the first test of that mindset. Arteta’s message was not complicated: Arsenal still believe, the title race is still alive, and the only response that matters starts at the Emirates.