Mikel Arteta Says Arsenal Will Not Give Up on Title Race

Jephthah Nana Adjei Osei - Mensah
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Mikel Arteta Says Arsenal Will Not Give Up on Title Race
Mikel Arteta
As of February 26, 2025, Arsenal Football Club finds itself at a critical juncture in the Premier League season, trailing league leaders Liverpool by 11 points following a pivotal weekend of fixtures. The Gunners suffered a damaging 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham United on Saturday, February 22, a result that halted their impressive 15-match unbeaten streak in the league (10 wins, 5 draws). The following day, Sunday, February 23, Liverpool capitalized on Arsenal’s slip, defeating Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium, further solidifying their position at the top of the table. This sequence of results has left Arsenal in second place, with Liverpool holding a game in hand, amplifying the challenge ahead for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The West Ham defeat was a frustrating affair for Arsenal, who struggled to convert their dominance in possession into meaningful scoring opportunities. Jarrod Bowen scored the decisive goal just before halftime, heading in a pinpoint cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka after a swift counter-attack caught Arsenal’s defense off guard. Despite generating 20 shots, only two were on target, underscoring a lack of clinical finishing that has plagued the team amid an ongoing injury crisis. The situation worsened in the 73rd minute when substitute Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off with a straight red card—Arsenal’s fifth red card of the season—leaving them with 10 men and effectively ending any hope of a comeback. West Ham, managed by Graham Potter, celebrated only their second win in seven games, a testament to their resilience against a heavily favored opponent.
Arsenal’s attacking woes were exacerbated by the absence of key forwards. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, both sidelined with hamstring injuries, joined Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz on the treatment table, leaving Arteta to deploy midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker. While Merino had previously delivered a brace off the bench in a 2-0 win over Leicester City the prior weekend, he was effectively neutralized by West Ham’s organized defense. Captain Martin Ødegaard, reflecting on the match, acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, stating, “We are missing players, but we have to focus on the players that are available and we have more than enough quality to do more than what we did today. It wasn’t good enough in front of the goal.”
In the wake of this setback, Mikel Arteta struck a defiant tone during a press conference on Tuesday, February 25, ahead of Arsenal’s next fixture against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, February 26. Addressing questions about the feasibility of catching Liverpool, who now sit on 54 points after 27 matches compared to Arsenal’s 43 from 26, Arteta declared, “Over my dead body will we stop thinking that way and putting everything we possibly can to improve.” He emphasized the mathematical possibility of overturning the deficit, noting, “If not, I’ll go home. You are there, you have to play every game. Suddenly, three days ago, we could close the gap and you are one-and-a-half games away. It doesn’t matter, we have to continue to go.” With 12 games remaining for Arsenal and 11 for Liverpool (plus their game in hand), the title remains within theoretical reach, though the odds are steep.
Arteta also contextualized Arsenal’s season, pointing to the adversity they’ve faced—five red cards and significant injuries—and their consistency prior to the West Ham loss. “In the previous 15 games, we have won 10 and drawn five, exactly the same as Liverpool with the same goal difference, which is plus 23,” he said. “We’ve been extremely consistent for the last three-and-a-half months, considering everything we’ve been through and we generated that momentum.” However, he admitted the psychological blow of the weekend: “It was that weekend where we have to go again, nothing different to the previous 15, and we got a defeat. On top of that, they won, so it was a very hard one to take.”
Liverpool’s victory over Manchester City, courtesy of goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, showcased their relentless form under Arne Slot. The Reds have now gone 22 matches unbeaten in the Premier League, a run that has seen them drop points only sparingly—most recently in draws against Everton (2-2) and Aston Villa (2-2). With a favorable March schedule featuring just one league game against bottom-placed Southampton, Liverpool appear poised to maintain their lead unless an unexpected collapse occurs. Data analysts Opta currently project Liverpool to finish with 86 points, eight ahead of Arsenal’s predicted 78, with the Reds’ title probability rising to 91.76% after the weekend’s results, while Arsenal’s has dipped to 8.14%.
Despite the grim outlook, Arteta remains resolute, drawing on past experiences where Arsenal amassed 84 and 89 points in the last two seasons yet finished as runners-up to Manchester City. “If you want to win the Premier League, you have to do something special,” he said. “If you want to win it with the circumstances we have, you probably have to do something no one else has done in the history of the Premier League.” Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, however, was less optimistic, declaring on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, “The title race is over, one million percent. Arsenal cannot catch Liverpool. They’ve got no forward… There’s absolutely no chance Arsenal can win the league.”
Arsenal’s immediate focus now shifts to Nottingham Forest, a team in third place under Nuno Espírito Santo, who Arteta praised as “unbelievable” for their remarkable rise. A victory could restore some momentum, but the Gunners face a daunting road ahead, with fixtures against Manchester United, Chelsea, and a crucial trip to Anfield on May 10 still to come. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s next test is a home clash against Newcastle United on Wednesday, February 26, as they aim to extend their lead to 14 points before Arsenal’s game in hand against Chelsea on March 16. For Arteta and his squad, the fight continues—over his dead body, as he insists—but the odds of dethroning Liverpool grow slimmer with each passing matchday.

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