After dropping out of the Europa League, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the club captain Martin Odegaard say they must now focus on the Premier League saying they will treat each of their remaining 11 games as a final.
The Gunners were eliminated from the Europa League last night by Portuguese side Sporting CP in a penalty shootout after ending extra time with a 3-all goal aggregate.
Arsenal currently lead the Premier League table with 66 points, five clear of second-placed and defending champions Manchester City.
They haven’t won a Premier League trophy since the 2003/04 season, but their only chance of winning silverware this season lies in the league. Their 11 remaining matches however, include Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, and Arteta and his captain aren’t kidding when they say they’re treating each game as a final.
Speaking to the press after the match, Odegaard said: “We have 11 finals to go and that’s it, that’s the main focus now. It starts already now in the dressing room to recover well and change the focus, so that’s what we have to do.”
His manager Arteta shared the same sentiments.
“The disappointment is not going to go away. The disappointment is there now, but it brings clarity. There are 11 Premier League games to play and the next final is against Crystal Place.
“We have to recover and put all our energy and focus there, play better than today and put the same effort as today and win.”
Although anything can happen with other opponents, Arsenal’s toughest encounter is believed to be Manchester City as they lost 3-1 to them in the first leg last month, so they would want to revenge as they seek to improve their chances of winning the Premier League title.
Arsenal will also have to play relegation-threatened Southampton, Leeds United, and West Ham which matches could prove to be difficult as the teams are fighting for survival. Newcastle and Brighton and Hove Albion have also had a good season so Arsenal should prepare for a tight contest against them.
Last night, Arsenal lost two defenders in William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu to injury and they are waiting for an assessment from club doctors to determine how long they are going to be sidelined.
This is definitely not the time any club would want to lose any player, but the Arsenal squad can provide good cover for them with Benjamin White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakob Kiwior, and Rob Holding all available for selection in Arsenal’s defence.
