“Encouragement? No” – Mikel Arteta Says Manchester City’s Wobbles Do Not Serve As Extra Motivation For Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said Manchester City’s string of draws does not provide any added encouragement, as he is solely motivated by his own team’s performances.

Reigning English champions Manchester City have suffered successive draws in the English top flight. They drew 4-4 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before playing out consecutive draws with Liverpool (1-1) and Tottenham Hotspur (3-3).

Arsenal Not Getting Carried Away With Manchester City Draws

Having dropped six points in three games, Manchester City have slipped from first place to third in the Premier League. Arsenal have benefitted the most from the Cityzens’ misfortunes, with them not only taking City’s place at the summit but also opening up a three-point advantage over them.

At a press conference on Monday, Arteta was asked whether he felt encouraged by City’s slip-ups in the race for the Premier League title. Here is what he had to say (via The Mirror):

“Encouragement? No. Encouragement comes from watching my team play and watching how they behave every single day, how hungry and willing they are to play every single game, the way they approach every single training session. That’s what gives me encouragement. What the others do is something we cannot control.

“I don’t think about [opening up a five-point gap], I think about how we’re going to play better tomorrow and be more consistent and more difficult to beat. The things that have to tweak and how we can use our players in the best possible way to win. It’s still a huge marathon ahead of us.”

City Cannot Be Written Off Even After Poor Start

Manchester City trailed Arsenal for most of the 2022-23 season, but they eventually got back into the groove and claimed their third consecutive Premier League title.

Pep Guardiola’s side had dropped 10 points after 14 games last season. This time, they have dropped just two points more, meaning a comeback is still very much on the cards.

Additionally, City have a habit of coming to life in the second half of the season. So, Arsenal and Liverpool, who are currently ahead of the Cityzens, must prepare themselves for a late Manchester City charge.