Mikel Arteta says title pain will motivate Arsenal against Man City
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta opens up on the fallout from losing out in title race – and how it will motivate his side in Wembley showdown against Man City
- Mikel Arteta is relishing the chance to get his hands on silverware on Sunday
- Arsenal face Man City for the first time since the 4-1 loss at the Etihad in April
- The defeat all but ended the Gunners’ hopes of lifting the Premier League
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta opened up about the deep soul-searching he undertook after relinquishing the league to Manchester City which is fuelling them for their face-off in the Community Shield on Sunday.
It is the first time the two clubs play each other since City’s 4-1 victory in April, which all but ended the Gunners’ hopes of lifting the Premier League for the first time since 2003-04.
Ahead of the much-anticipated clash, Arteta said: ‘I probably pretended to my wife that I stopped thinking about it. But she will say something very different.
‘You need to get over it — being away helps quite a lot. It’s the feeling when you have created that belief and believe you can do it, and then it suddenly goes away.
‘But it’s part of it, and we all need that to be better. That moment when you feel, “I failed” or I didn’t achieve what I wanted. You still have the hunger and desire to go again. That’s a big motivation.’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is relishing the chance to get his hands on silverware on Sunday
Arsenal face Man City for the first time since the 4-1 defeat at the Etihad in April
He is also relishing the chance to get his hands on silverware before the season begins.
‘Very excited to play a final and have the opportunity to win a trophy,’ he said. ‘We’re playing the team that is the team to beat.
‘They’re the best team in Europe last season so we know what the standards are and what we’re going to need to win. Really excited.’
In a week where the club have been linked to Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, Arteta also applauded Aaron Ramsdale’s bravery in candidly revealing in an article that his wife had suffered a miscarriage earlier in the year and tackling homophobia.
He added: ‘I think that it was great. Very open, very transparent. He expressed what he feels about the topics that he discussed. I think he was very brave to do it the way he did it.
‘We’re dealing with people and human beings and we’re responsible to manage a lot of decisions with the players and things that can affect their lives. We have a big responsibility there. Whenever we can we have to be close and support them because I know how much it means. Not only me, but his team-mates and everybody to be supportive when he needs it.’
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