Mikel Arteta outlines ambitious points target for ‘hungry’ Arsenal as he eyes Premier League glory
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed how many points he thinks his team needs to beat the competition to the Premier League title this season.
The Gunners sat top of the table for large portions of the 2022/23 campaign but were ultimately unable to prevent Manchester City from lifting the trophy yet again.
Arteta’s side have got off to another excellent start this season, winning 10 of their 14 league games so far. They sit top of the table on 33 points as it stands, two points clear of second-placed Liverpool.
Man City have uncharacteristically dropped six points in their last three games, conceding eight goals in the process. This has given Gunners fans hope that they can beat the Cityzens to the top spot this time around.
Arteta will undoubtedly have his sights set on securing Arsenal’s first title since 2004. The Spaniard is under no illusions about how difficult that challenge will be, however.
In a recent interview, Arteta discussed how many points he thinks his team will need to achieve their goal, and said they may need to get three figures.
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Asked if he has a numerical target this season, Arteta told reporters: “Yes. 96-100 I think you win the league. That is the cushion.”
The Arsenal manager then laughed after he was reminded he set a target of 90 last season, before responding: “So I say a number and then you don’t like the number! Do you want me to change the number?”
Arteta was then asked about Man City’s recent dip in form. “Do I take encouragement from that? No,” he said.
“The encouragement comes from watching the team play, watching them behave every day and how hungry and willing they are to approach every training session.
“That’s what gives me encouragement. What the others do is something that we cannot control.”
Finally, Arteta was asked whether Arsenal signing Declan Rice has given them a greater chance of lifting the title this season.
“I don’t think about that,” Arteta responded.
“I think about how we’re going to play better tomorrow and be more consistent and be more difficult to beat and the things that we need to tweak and how we can use our players in the best possible ways to win.
“It’s still a huge marathon ahead of us.”
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