Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes essentially came to a close following its 3-0 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on matchday 36. Manchester City built a four-point lead atop the league table after it defeated Everton earlier on the matchday. The Gunners had an opportunity to at the least trim the lead back down to one point but failed to do so.
At one point in the season, Arsenal held an eight-point lead atop the Premier League table. Arsenal's lead in the league standings gradually withered away over the second half of the season. Overall, Arsenal has dropped points in five out of its last seven league fixtures.
During a pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s away matchup against Nottingham Forest, manager Mikel Arteta was asked whether he will use the “pain” from this year as motivation for next season. The Spanish manager kept it simple with his response.
“There are lots of moments to be extremely pleased with what we’ve done,” Arteta said. “Let’s see where we finish in the next two games. Pain is part of football — when you don’t win, when you don’t perform at your level, it has to hurt. It has to hurt the right way, and you have to use that pain to become better and to find answers and solutions that can help you win more.
“This is what we’re trying to do every single day.”
Arteta was also asked whether Arsenal will now be a regular contender to win the Premier League, and he noted that this will hinge on several factors.
“We have shown this season, and we are still there with two games to go,” Arteta said. “We can still be champions, against probably the best team in the history of the Premier League, for 10 months, and we are still there with two games to go. We’re not going to bottle that, that’s for sure. What happens next season will depend a lot on what we do, how we evolve, and how we start. That prediction is very difficult to make today.”
If Arsenal comes away with a loss to Nottingham Forest on matchday 37, then Manchester City will officially win the Premier League for the third consecutive campaign.
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