Arteta: I don't expect our path to be paved with roses

Mikel Arteta spoke after his Arsenal side secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Newcastle in their Premier League Matchday 34 clash. The win propelled the Gunners back to the top of the table, though title rivals Manchester City have a game in hand, having played their FA Cup semi-final this past weekend.

“I don't expect that after 23 years without a title, our path will be strewn with rose petals and beautiful music playing everywhere. Everything will be exactly as it is now, and we are ready for that. Winning this league is incredibly difficult. At halftime, I made it clear that we needed to score a second goal. We tried, but when we lack efficiency in certain areas, we must be able to use other means to win. We certainly got the job done. I see the immense effort the players are putting in, and I know how much they want this. They are full of desire, and I'm just trying to help them.

The reality is that in the last two games, at crucial moments when everything was on the line, things should have gone our way, but they didn't. I'm not looking for excuses; I'm the first to understand everything. I didn't say this after a loss; I'm saying it after today's win.

We absolutely had to win the game; the margin was very small, and we achieved our goal. There were moments in both the first and second halves. We certainly showed discipline, courage, and excellent defensive habits, but there are areas in our ball handling that we need to significantly improve if we want to dominate more. In many situations, we don't deliver on our promises, and too often we find ourselves in positions that should lead to some end product, helping us establish ourselves in the final third, but instead, our attack falters. But the most important thing is the reaction when something like that happens,” Arteta stated.