Mikel Arteta issues passionate rallying cry to Arsenal fans ahead of final game of the season, as Gunners boss says everyone must ‘demand more’ moving forward in a bid to topple Man City as Premier League champions
- Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal must ‘demand more from each other’ next term
- The manager sent a message to supporters to mark the end of their season
- It was a season of near-misses for Arsenal Women and the under-18s as well
Mikel Arteta has said that Arsenal must ‘demand more from each other’ in a rallying cry to supporters to mark the end of the club’s season.
The 41-year-old returned to the Gunners as manager in 2019 – after success as a player – and led the men’s first team to their closest title challenge in almost two decades, ultimately falling short against a rampant Manchester City.
It has been a season of near-misses for other Arsenal teams, with Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners finishing third in the Women’s Super League after winning the Conti Cup, and the under-18s losing the FA Youth Cup final against West Ham.
In his end of season message, the Spanish manager paid tribute to the players, backroom staff, and fans, who had pushed Arsenal all the way in multiple competitions.
The message on the Arsenal website started: ‘Throughout my time here, I saw our club returning. Returning to a feeling we have all missed, because there is something special behind us. This is togetherness.’
Mikel Arteta has sent a message to Arsenal supporters, hailing the players and backroom staff
The Spaniard pledged to ‘focus on what’s in front’ after finishing second in the Premier League
Hailing the players – in the upper echelons of both the Premier League and the WSL – Arteta said: ‘When I watch our men and women training every single day, I can feel how much they want to deliver for this football club.’
As well as praising those who work with the stars, he had a special shoutout for the supporters, claiming: ‘Without you, it doesn’t make any sense what we do. You are our energy, you are living the game with us.’
Demands for excellence from the fans are also fuelling their work every day, with the former midfielder saying they must ‘demand more from each other. Support each other. Be connected in every action, in every win, in every single ball.’
Despite the range of disappointments across the club this term, Arteta pledges to put them in the past, as they begin to focus on next season – which will see Arsenal play in the men’s Champions League again for the first time in several years.
Arteta saw how the women – managed by Jonas Eidevall (L) – also wanted to deliver for Arsenal
There will also be work required to try and catch Man City at the summit of the Premier League – as the other teams will also seek to gain their own success throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
He finishes his message: ‘Now we focus on what’s in front, and if we keep moving forwards, we can achieve anything. Because we know what’s behind this club, behind this feeling.
‘This is our Arsenal.’
Arsenal’s final game of the Premier League season is a home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers, a day after the Gunners lost their final WSL game of the season 2-0 at home to Aston Villa.
