The Arsenal manager was asked about his extreme faith in his players, as Tottenham threw cross after cross into the box in pursuit of an unlikely draw. “Definitely… in the last few minutes I was doubting a bit!”
Arteta wouldn’t have been human if that wasn’t the case. Everyone knew that Arsenal’s title challenge came down to those last few minutes. They got through it, as Arteta made sure to point out that his squad “give me no reason” to doubt.
Many might of course point to how last season ended, and the manager himself pointed to the difference in perception from how these games have gone to everything that happened in last season’s run-in.
“When you win, it’s always the case. Last season, we didn’t, because we went to West Ham and we missed a penalty… at the end, the judgement is going to be based on that outcome. If Spurs got the goal in the last minute to make it 3-3, then we wouldn’t have been ready. The margins are so small.”
And yet there is a significant gap between this season and last; a gap that is a clear indicator of growth and maturity. Arsenal have secured more points in the last three games (nine) than they did in all of last April.
This story is from the April 30, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the April 30, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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