Mikel Arteta interview: Arsenal boss tells Tom Hiddleston he watched Premier League title win in March | football news

Mikel Arteta says he sees Arsenal’s Premier League success in March ending their 22-year wait for the title.

Arsenal were confirmed as champions when Manchester City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth on Tuesday, sparking jubilant scenes of celebration among players, staff and fans.

The display of emotion followed three consecutive second-place finishes and a nail-biting race for this season’s crown with Pep Guardiola’s side, who were one goal away from taking it to the wire.

But in an interview Dr Sky Sports News Before Arsenal’s final against Crystal Palace, live Sky Sports On Sunday, Arteta told actor and Arsenal fan Tom Hiddleston that he was able to watch the trophy lift two months ago.

“I imagined winning it many times,” Arteta said. “Especially because we’ve been so close for a couple of seasons.

“But this time, in particular, there was something. I’ve done a lot of visualizations over the past few months.

“I could close my eyes and I could immediately go into that picture, and it was different from other seasons.

“Not since the beginning of the season, when I started it was around March, April.

“I knew this was the moment that would define the season.

“And, well, what can you learn from the past that we didn’t have, or that I did that could have been done differently to help players cross the line?”

Asked by Hiddleston what exactly he envisioned, Arteta added: “It was a picture of me lifting the trophy. That was it.

“I think I had to believe in myself to be able to transmit that conviction and energy to the team.”

Arsenal players and staff celebrated their success at the club’s training ground on Tuesday before heading to central London, where they were joined by their manager.

Meanwhile, thousands of fans gathered at the Emirates Stadium, where Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jurien Timber and Eberechi Eze were present in the early hours of the morning.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Arteta. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time, but when it actually happens, it’s different from what I imagined.

“I never expected such joy and unity, and something that happens organically that happened right after we won. It was magical to witness.”

Arteta revealed that he used a recent speech by Hiddleston Sky Sports NewsIn which he quotes Billie Jean King that pressure is a privilege, motivating his players during the run-in.

Arteta told Hiddleston, “The way you said it, it’s beautiful.

“You said it in such a powerful way that it’s so easy to put it into words and explain it to the boys.”

‘Now we have to go to the next level’

With the Premier League title assured, attention is already turning to next Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

Arteta said he and his players were determined to add a historic European success to their domestic triumph by reaching the final without losing any of their 14 games.

He said, we have now raised various standards.

“This is where we are now, and now we have to go to the next level, and the next level is going to happen in six days in Budapest, to go and win the Champions League, and we know that.

“Our only focus now is to achieve that goal. With the boys, the energy around the place has been incredible, with everyone, because we have a lot of family, a lot of people who know each other, a lot of people connected in and around the club.

“And you see the joy, but you also see the ambition. We did that, but now we want it.

“And the journey we’ve had in the Champions League this season, I think we need to be very confident. We have the ability to go into it and win it.”

‘I enjoy hard times too’

Arteta added that Arsenal’s past disappointments have made their success this season all the sweeter and hailed his coaching staff, bolstered by the addition of Gabriel Heinz last summer, as the best in the world.

“I enjoy that part, too,” he said. “I love it. Why isn’t it happening? Trying to figure it out and dissect what’s not right, figure it out and change it.

“That’s what makes you a good coach and to have that curiosity, to first be humble enough to look at yourself before criticizing the players.

“What exactly didn’t I do? Why isn’t it clicking? Why isn’t it going the way I thought it would go?

“And then find a way. And then, when that happens, it’s more rewarding than ever, because you’re able to identify things and that’s not easy to do.

“But even to do that, you have to surround yourself with the best. And I feel lucky that I have, in my opinion, the best coaching staff in the world and some of the best staff in the world, to open your eyes, to guide you, to make you think, to open up new possibilities.

“I think it’s very important and they deserve a lot of credit.”