If Arsenal hopes to overcome the 19-year Premier League title drought, Mikel Arteta believes his team must be more ruthless.
The Gunners blew a two-goal lead for the second weekend in a row, as they drew 2-2 at West Ham United after doing the same at Liverpool.
“We needed that ruthless mindset in that moment to go and kill the team,” said Arteta. “When a team is there for the killing, you have to kill it. Today we haven’t done it.
When asked if his squad was beginning to feel the strain, Arteta responded that the problem was with his side’s poor game management
“If I see a team from the beginning playing like that, when I see a team playing with that flow? And at two-nil, that’s certainly not the pressure” Arteta added. “We misunderstood what the game required in that moment.
With the outcome at London Stadium, Arsenal became just the sixth team in the history of the competition to blow a 2-0 lead in back-to-back games.
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Before Matchweek 30, the lead at the top of the table was eight points, but it is currently only four points, with Manchester City having a game in hand.
At this point in the season, Pep Guardiola and his team have considerable experience dealing with the strain of a title run-in that Arteta and Arsenal lack. Man City has scored the most points in the second half of the season over the past five seasons.
Despite having played two more games, the Gunners have a chance to extend their advantage to seven points when they face Southampton on Friday.
City won’t play again in the Premier League until they face Arsenal on April 26 in a game that might determine where the Trophy goes.
Arsenal have already spent 235 days atop the standings, and they will be desperate to lift the trophy after a very long title drought.
