‘Jump on the fun boat’ – Arteta appeals to Arsenal fans

Mikel Arteta explained he held a meeting with Arsenal‘s players after the defeat by Manchester United to “bring the temperature down” – as he promised “beautiful” things lie ahead.

A 3-2 loss against United on Sunday was Arsenal’s first home defeat of the season and just their third in the Premier League after 23 games.

The Gunners are four points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa but are without a win in their three most recent domestic league matches after draws against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

Yet Arteta said the reaction in the team meeting was “excellent”, and he believes that bodes well for prospects of success in the remainder of the season.

“We took a moment to bring the temperature down, to pause and to reflect and ask two questions: one is, how do we feel, and how do I feel myself? And then, how are we going to live the next four months?

“And it was so encouraging and beautiful because what came out of that is very simple.”

The Arsenal manager issued his message in a news conference before the home match against Kairat in the Champions League, which takes place on Wednesday.

Arsenal are top of the tree in Europe, with seven wins from seven, while their visitors from Kazakhstan sit bottom of the group phase table.

A first Premier League title since 2004 remains firmly in Arsenal’s sights, with domestic cup success and a tilt at the Champions League trophy also in the picture.

Arteta said: “We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions, and in the next four months we’re going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we’re going to win it.

Arteta said that he holds meetings “every three or four weeks” with his squad and that the latest one was so that players “realise where we are” and to “just make sure that we enjoy with a lot of conviction that it’s going to happen because it’s our moment and we really want it”.

Arsenal have finished second for three successive seasons in the Premier League.

The Gunners have not won a trophy since they lifted the FA Cup in 2020, which was in Arteta’s first season in charge.

At times during the match against Manchester United there was a tense atmosphere from the home crowd, with boos heard at the final whistle.

“That’s why I encouraged them to jump in this boat because it’s going to be fun,” Arteta said when asked about home crowd.

Arteta said that it was not pressure from outside the club that led to the meeting.

Instead, he saw it as an opportune moment to take stock after a “hectic” schedule. Before the United defeat, Arsenal had played four away games in a row in four different competitions.

They won three of those away games, drawing the other, and sit top of the Premier League, have a 100% record in the Champions League, have a lead over Chelsea after the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final and are into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Arteta says that it is “beautiful” to look at what could be ahead.