Mikel Arteta has now shared the points target he has set for Arsenal this season.
Arsenal look set to be involved in a tight Premier League title race. Mikel Arteta now believes he knows how many points his side will have to amass in order to be crowned champions at the end of the season.
The Gunners emerged as unexpected title challengers last season, and led the table for the majority of the campaign. However, a lack of squad depth caught up with the north London club on the final stretch, as injuries to key players took their toll, and they were eclipsed by eventual champions Manchester City.
In the recent summer transfer window, Arteta took steps to address some of the shortcomings in his squad. Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and David Raya were all brought to the Emirates Stadium in order to add extra quality and depth.
Mikel Arteta outlines the scale of the challenge facing Arsenal
Arsenal have made a strong start to the current campaign. With fourteen Premier League matches now played, the Gunners are sitting pretty at the top of the table once again, with 33 points under their belt. Liverpool are in second, with 31 points. Reigning champions Manchester City are third, with 30 points to their name.
Of course, there is still an awful long way to go in this race, and there will be plenty of twists and turns to come. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has backed Arsenal to win the league this season. However, they will need to hit peak form at the perfect time in the second half of the campaign, when Liverpool and Manchester City will both be seeking to up their own games.
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will both have an ultimate points target in mind, which they believe will be enough to make Manchester City and Liverpool champions, respectively. To the same end, Arteta has his own target.
As quoted by Sport Bible, when asked how many points it will take to triumph this season, the Spanish coach said, “96-100 I think you win the league. That is the cushion.”
That is a high target to set. Last season, Manchester City won the title with 89 points. The season prior, they achieved the feat with a total of 93 points. In the 2020/21 season, the Etihad Stadium outfit became champions after amassing 86 points.
The 96-point threshold, specified by Arteta, has not been broken since 2020, when Liverpool racked up 99 points.
Arteta clearly expects the standard at the top to be incredibly high this season, and believes that his Arsenal side have what it takes to rise above the competition.
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