The Gunners went seven games without a league victory before beating Chelsea and their manager has opened up to his personal controversy.
Mikel Arteta says he felt responsible for Arsenal’s “draining, frustrating and painful” poor form, admitting to questioning himself every day during their recent winless run.
Arsenal beat rivals Chelsea 3-1 on Saturday to ease some of the growing pressure on Arteta, which recently marked a full year under leadership.
That followed a seven-game climb of Premier League games without a win, with the Gunners returning 14 points from 14 games the worst return in that level of a season from 1974-75 when it was converted to three points to win. .
Arteta’s side are still sitting just six points above the relegation zone and the Spaniard has opened up to the mental crisis of going eight weeks between league wins.
“Since I came here, I first had to do a really good analysis of what was happening, what we can and can’t do. In fact, according to results, in the last few weeks ‘We’ve all been suffering, I’ve been suffering. I am very responsible for that, “he told the media ahead of Arsenal’ s trip to Brighton on Tuesday.
“It’s the worst feeling because I want to do so well for this football club and at the time we’re in, I want my commitment, my experience, my intentions. right to move as fast as we can a football club.
“To do that we have to win football matches, be consistent and win some time. When I don’t, I feel like I’m letting the club down and the people who work for us, and obviously our fans. ”
Arsenal picked up just five points between the start of November and their win over the weekend over Chelsea, a run that saw four consecutive hits at the Emirates Stadium.
That was the equivalent of North London ‘s worst high – flying run at home since 1959 and Arteta is grateful for the support he received during the worrying dip.
“It’s draining, it’s painful and it’s painful,” he said. “At the same time, I know we need to fight our way back.
“In difficult times it’s when you see the right people, they give me a lot of confidence because I see people who are willing to fight with me, with the people we have here. It brings energy. me every day to keep doing it.
“It’s a 24/7 job. As well as a lot of things on the outside, very challenging. A lot of issues and then when results hit you so you sometimes can’t find the right reasons find out to understand why we miss football games, when we do what we do.
“It’s a big headache. But other than that the beauty of this game is finding ways to do things differently.
“My responsibility is to motivate the players as much as possible, to keep them united, to keep the team spirit alive, even when you’re not winning games.
“When you’re sad and upset, you have to find the time somewhere to do that.
“I’ve been delighted to have my family and everyone here with me at the club, the board, [technical director] Edu, they’ve all been very supportive and that has really helped me. ”
Arteta won seven club awards during his playing days, including the FA Cup twice with Arsenal, before moving into coaching alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in 2016.
The 38-year-old was named as Unai Emery’s replacement in December 2019, winning the FA Cup at the end of his first season as leader and the Community Shield at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Asked if he has found management more tired than being a player, Arteta said: “Governing is the simple answer.
“Because there are so many people around you that you need to pay attention to. I always say you have 70 hearts in the training ground and stadium that you need to look after. every day.
“Every decision you make affects their life, mood and the next day. So you are very aware of that and you are emotionally connected to them and I am emotionally connected. to this football club. “