Mikel Arteta has revealed that he believed be was responsible for Arsenal’s underwhelming performances in recent weeks.
Arsenal went seven games without a victory in the Premier League until Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea took some pressure off the shoulders of umderfire manager, Arteta.
Before the win against London rivals, Chelsea the Gunners’ winless streak of seven Premier League games without a victory, and return of 14 points from 14 games represented the club’s worst return at that stage of a season since 1974-75 season.
Arteta’s side still sit just six points above the relegation zone and the Spaniard has opened up on the mental anguish of going eight weeks between league victories.
“I question myself every day,” he said ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.
“Since I arrived here, first of all I had to analyse really well what was happening, what we can and cannot do. Obviously, results-wise, in the last few weeks we have all been suffering, I have been suffering. I feel very responsible for that.
“The worst feeling is because I want to do so well for this football club and at the moment we are in, I want to bring all my passion, the knowledge that I have, the right intentions to move as quickly as we possibly can as a football club.
“In order to do that we need to win football matches, to be stable and win some time. When I don’t, I feel like I am letting the club down and the people that work for us, and obviously our fans.”
Arsenal picked up just five points between the start of November and their weekend win over Chelsea, a run that included four successive defeats at Emirates Stadium.
That equalled the north London side’s worst top-flight run at home since 1959 and Arteta is grateful with the support he received during the concerning dip.
“It is draining, it is frustrating and it is painful,” he said. “At the same time, I know we have to fight our way back.”In difficult moments is when you see the right people, they give me a lot of encouragement because I see people that are willing to fight with me, with the people that we have here. It gives me energy every day to carry on doing it.
“It is a 24/7 job. As well a lot of things externally, very challenging. A lot of issues and then when results hit you like that you can sometimes not find the right reasons to understand why we are losing football matches, when we produce what we produce.
“It is a big headache. But as well it is the beauty of this game, to find ways of doing things in a different way.
“My responsibility is to motivate the players as much as possible, to keep them united, to keep the team spirit alive, even when you are not winning matches.
“When you are frustrated and sad, you have to find all the time somewhere to do that.
“My way has been my family and all the people that are here with me at the club, the board, [technical director] Edu, they have all been super supportive and that has helped me a lot.”
