Mikel Arteta has revealed he could not bear to watch Manchester City's draw at Bournemouth and was building a fire in his garden when Arsenal's first Premier League title in 22 years was confirmed. The manager admitted his relief at finally being crowned champions after three successive runners-up finishes and confessed he had questioned whether he was good enough to lead the team to the final step.
Arteta's Tense Afternoon
Arteta had initially planned to watch the match with the squad at the training ground on Tuesday, but 20 minutes before kick-off he decided he could not handle the tension and returned home. “I was supposed to be here with the players, and certain staff, because that’s what they wanted,” he said. “But I couldn’t. I had to leave. I couldn’t bring the energy that I wanted. It was their moment to be together, watch it themselves and just see what the outcome would be. I went home, went outside to the garden, started to build some fire and started to do some barbecue. I didn’t watch any of it. I was just hearing noises in the background and the living room. Then the magic happened.”
His oldest son, Gabriel, who plays for Arsenal’s under-18s, burst into the garden in tears, hugged him, and said: “We’re champions Daddy.” Arteta added: “My other two boys and my wife came over and it was beautiful to see the joy in them – they are always with me. It was magical. A minute later Martin Ødegaard was with the video: ‘Where are you? Come over.’ I said: ‘Enjoy it. See you in a few hours, somewhere in London.’”
Celebrations and Self-Doubt
Arteta later joined the squad at a West End nightclub, leading chants of “Champions of England”. He phoned Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, his childhood friend from Spain, to thank him for his role. Arteta described it as “one of the best feelings of his life” and admitted moments of self-doubt. “We won the league, but I’m most proud of how we won it,” he said. “Because we showed a very important value not only in sport but in life as well, which is perseverance. That is to be resilient, to be composed in moments when people are doubting, to be vulnerable, because I’ve asked that question to myself: am I good enough to lead this team, this club, these players to win a major trophy? Until you do it, you cannot validate yourself.”
Pre-Season Meeting Under the Olive Tree
Arteta highlighted a meeting a few days before the first match of the season, gathered around an olive tree he planted at the training ground after his appointment in December 2019. He said: “I got all the players together and I told them: ‘Look at each other, look at the squad that we built over the summer and that we are capable of everything, that we can be very, very good. It only depends on us and on our behaviours and everybody understanding the role I’m going to have daily or on the day, to give the best for the team.’ And once they realised that, I think we went to a different level.”
Arsenal are hopeful that Jurriën Timber may be fit for the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain next Saturday, and Mikel Merino is back in training. “Now, of course, you want more,” Arteta said, “and we have the biggest one to play in Budapest in a few days.”
