The defeat to Manchester United last weekend certainly hit hard among some Arsenal fans and players.
The loss to Michael Carrick’s side capped off a poor run in the Premier League and after having the chance to be ten points clear a few weeks ago, the lead is now just four to Man City.
Nevertheless, it’s a positive position to be in and the Gunners needn’t be panicking.
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Mikel Arteta, of course, is the man who needs to manage things and both build up and temper expectations among the entire club.
Indeed, after the defeat to United, Arteta has found his man-management skills tested and according to journalist Miguel Delaney, that culminated in a change of message to the squad.
Mikel Arteta’s latest message to the Arsenal players
Winning a title isn’t easy. If it was, then we’d have more clubs do it, rather than the same group of teams we see fighting it out year on year.
Naturally, Arsenal are expected to see it through this season after spending millions and building a big lead again.
However, after seeing the reaction to the United defeat, Arteta had his players in the next day and according to Miguel Delaney, had a slight change of tone and message to deliver.
“So on Monday morning, Mikel Arteta went into the Arsenal training ground wanting to stress one specific message that he felt his players absolutely had to have. And that was basically – and I’m paraphrasing a bit here – that is was basically the principle of you can’t lose something you haven’t yet won,” Delaney revealed.
“So leave all that behind, forget about it. Arteta and his staff have quickly realised that his team are playing in the midst of a ‘fear of failure’. So he’s kind of realised that he needs to make the players see or think things in a different way.
“So that was essentially to see the situation as not something to lose, but something to grasp, as an opportunity to do something they’ve dreamed of. The message was basically to enjoy it, and also individual players were encouraged to speak up, so it was a bit of a release, the entire thing.”
Arsenal fans: What would YOU have told the team after the defeat to Man United?
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Mindset is going to be crucial for Arsenal to win the title
Any team going for the title will have a blip or two along the way. It’s just what happens with pressure, expectation and having a target on your back as leaders.
Arsenal now need to dig deep. They need big characters to step into the fray and put things right, and that starts by beating Leeds this weekend.
The problem Arsenal now have is that they can ill-afford many more slip ups.
We all know that Man City will come good and after spending again in January, they’re likely to go on a run and put pressure on.
It’s now crucial that Arteta and his squad learn from the last few years and get it right. If they don’t, then all what Arteta has built could come crashing down.
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