LONDON — Mikel Arteta crumpled to his knees in the 95th minute at Chelsea on Sunday as his Arsenal side missed a huge chance to potentially win with the final kick of the game.
His players had dug deep but came up short, once again, as they drew 1-1 and they’ve now picked up just two points from their last four games in the Premier League.
They now sit nine points behind leaders Liverpool with 11 games of the season gone and no team has ever overcome a nine-point deficit at this stage of a Premier League season and come back to win the title.
Speaking to reporters at Stamford Bridge after the game, Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino admitted that Arsenal aren’t really focusing on a title charge, yet, and are more concerned about making baby steps back to being contenders.
Merino - “I hope results are coming”
“Well, personally, I don’t just think about the title,” Merino said. “Right now, we are at a moment where we have to think about the next step, about the next training session, the next game. Don’t look too much ahead of ourselves, because the small steps are the ones that are going to build the long run. So, just focus on the next [thing], try to do the best training session, try to win the next game, [put in the] best performance possible and from there we will start to build.”
Merino admitted he was “disappointed” that Arsenal didn’t win at Chelsea but praised the overall performance and was keen to focus on the positives, of which there were some, despite losing more ground in the title race. Merino jumped off the bench and almost got on the end of a teasing cross and popped up in plenty of dangerous areas but, as has been the case for Arsenal of late, the ball just didn’t drop to him in the right position to win it.
Given Arsenal lost their last three away games in the Premier League and Champions League without scoring a goal, taking the lead at in-form Chelsea and pushing hard late on to win was a step back in the right direction for the Gunners.
“Obviously you have to look at it all, not only the result, but at the same time look at where the team is coming from, how the team is playing, and I think today is a day to be very proud of the guys,” Merino explained. “I think we did an amazing job after a difficult couple of weeks with a lot of injuries, with not the best results. I think the mentality and the character that these guys are showing is just unbelievable. You can see it, just [after] conceding a goal away from home, against a team who is normally dominant, and you are the ones who are dictating the tempo and attacking and creating the chances. This is a big sign of what this team is about. I am a positive person and I hope for the future the results are coming and this team will grow.”
Arsenal eager to focus on positives as pressure builds
The main positive for Arsenal from this draw at Chelsea will have been the sight of captain Martin Odegaard returning from injury after two months out.
Not only did he play the entire 90 minutes and was flitting around with his usual classy flicks and high-energy, the Norwegian also delivered a sumptuous clipped cross to set up Gabriel Martinelli to score Arsenal’s goal as he showcased the creativity Arsenal have been badly missing.
“It is always tough when you are missing players like Martin Odegaard. He is the captain, he is one of the main players. It’s obvious that when we have him, we are a better team,” Merino said. “I think he will need some time to get back to his best level, even though he is one of the best players in the Premier League. But yeah, I think this team needs every single player, not only Martin, but everyone being healthy and back to 100 per cent, because this is a squad and we need everybody.”
And Arsenal are going to need everybody fit to chase down Liverpool and that nine-point gap to the leaders.
Tough stretch ahead but Merino “loves the pressure”
After the November international break they face Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Manchester United and Fulham in the league and have in-form Sporting Lisbon and Monaco in the Champions League. That brutal six-game span in four weeks proves it doesn’t get any easier and Merino knows they have to get back to winnings ways. Fast.
“That is obvious. We don’t have to look at the negatives. We have to look at the positives,” Merino added. “We have to look at ourselves, at how we want to perform, and not start thinking about what is going to happen if we lose. That’s adding extra pressure. We know we have to win every game. We know that. We want that and we have to work for that - and in order to achieve that we have to focus on the present, on ourselves, on improving and getting better. That’s what we are going to do.”
Merino was reminded that when he joined Arsenal this summer he talked about enjoying the pressure of fighting for trophies.
Is he enjoying the challenge and looking forward to what’s coming up in the next few months as they hope to be pushing to win four competitions?
“I think you have to enjoy that. I think if you want to be in a big club, if you want to achieve big things, you have to love the pressure,” Merino said. “You have to love playing against the best and for the biggest trophies. The mentality that these players have is to try to be the best, every single day, every training session. That says a lot about this team, but it is not only about wanting to do it. You have to show it. We are showing it in training sessions, we have to show it in games as well. And, for sure, I think we will.”
