Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta kicks off Man City mind games amid pressure

Man City boss Guardiola assesses title race with Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has maintained that Manchester City have always been favourites to win the Premier League this season. The Spaniard has ramped up the pressure on his former club after Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat saw the Gunners relinquish their place at the summit of the top flight. 

Arteta saw his side beaten by City in midweek and although Arsenal have a game in hand, an eight-point lead has now been completely wiped out in a little under a month. The north Londoners are now neck-and-neck with the reigning champions on 51 points. 

However, Arteta has insisted that City have remained the favourites even when they were chasing Arsenal. He said that nobody expected his side to be where they are at the start of the season. 

He said: “I don’t think we have ever been favourites, I don’t think that has changed. Man City have been the No.1 candidates from day one because they have been in that position for much of the last five years.

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“Before the season, if you had to bet on someone, put some money or your house on somebody, I think a lot of people would have done something different [from backing Arsenal].”

Arsenal face a tricky trip to Aston Villa on Saturday. Their opponents are well-organised and have shown vast improvements under Arteta’s predecessor, Unai Emery. 

Arteta believes his players have shown that they can regroup after a run of three games without a win. He continued: “If you want to be at the top, you have to do it. Looking at what they (the players) did the other day gives me a lot of encouragement to think that they are ready.

“We talked about the position we’re in for a few months now, the way the team is playing and the things you have to do to stay there.

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“We know where the level is, we want to be in that level, and there were a lot of positives to take from the City game, that’s for sure.”

Arteta’s comments came on the day that Guardiola added to the title race mind games. The City boss says Arsenal’s game in hand still makes them favourites. 

Guardiola said: “Arsenal still have one game in hand so nothing changed much. If you are a lot of points or a lot of points back, it is a big difference. But we were tight and it’s forgotten and we’re just thinking about Nottingham Forest.”

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