They Are Here To Stay’ – Pep Guardiola Asserts That Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal Will Return Even Stronger Next Season
Pep Guardiola is confident that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will continue to challenge his Manchester City team for the Premier League title for “many years.”
The Citizens are celebrating an unprecedented fourth consecutive top-flight title after defeating West Ham United 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium in their final game of the season on Sunday.
Premier League Player of the Season Phil Foden scored twice in the first 18 minutes, before Mohammed Kudus’s stunning bicycle kick brought one back for West Ham just before halftime.
However, a dominant Man City restored their two-goal lead midway through the second half thanks to a goal from Rodri, ultimately securing the victory in front of a jubilant home crowd.
Arsenal, who defeated Everton 2-1 in their final-day fixture, pushed Man City all the way in the 2023-24 season, as they did in the previous campaign, but ultimately fell short, finishing two points behind Guardiola’s formidable team.
Guardiola: ‘Arsenal have sent us a message’
After spending three years as Guardiola’s assistant at Man City, Mikel Arteta has significantly elevated his reputation as a manager during his transformative period with Arsenal. Guardiola believes his former apprentice is poised to challenge for top-flight glory once again.
“Credit to Arsenal, and to Liverpool as well, but especially to Arsenal for pushing us to another level,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference. “Liverpool pushed us to our limits the last two seasons, and now Arsenal have done the same.
“It’s been an incredible season. We got the message! We know that Arsenal will be competing with us for many years because of their young, talented manager, Mikel Arteta.
“They have a young squad and a young team, sending a clear message that we need to be vigilant next year, but today is a day to celebrate.”
Guardiola continued: “I want to congratulate them from the bottom of my heart, Mikel, his staff, and the players. They have had an incredible season.
“I feel it, and they push us to be our best, just like before. We got the message from Mikel and his players. We must make the right decisions in the coming years because they are here to stay.”
Arteta confident Arsenal will win Premier League title in the future
Arteta has congratulated Manchester City on their title success and praised his Arsenal players, expressing confidence that his team will eventually be crowned Premier League champions.
“First of all, congratulations to Manchester City for winning the Premier League,” Arteta said. “Today brings mixed emotions. I’m really proud of the staff and the players. They’ve done an incredible job, pushing every limit to try to win this Premier League.
“Unfortunately, we fell a bit short and couldn’t secure the prize we wanted. [Man City] took it away from us. It’s the second season.
“To finish above Man City, you have to be more determined, more ambitious, and have a lot of courage. We need to push every limit in everything we do. That’s the next step.
“If we do what we need to do, we’ll get closer, and eventually, we’ll win it. When? I don’t know, but if we keep knocking and staying this close, it will happen in the end.”
While Arsenal’s 2023-24 campaign has ended, Man City will now focus on the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United at Wembley Stadium next Saturday, aiming to become the first team to win both the Premier League and FA Cup in consecutive seasons.
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