Mikel Arteta has said he saw Arsenal’s Premier League success coming in March after ending their 22-year wait for the title.
Arsenal were confirmed as champions when Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth on Tuesday, sparking jubilant scenes of celebration among players, staff and fans.
The outpouring of emotion followed three consecutive second-placed finishes and a nail-biting race for this season’s crown with Pep Guardiola’s side, who were a goal away from taking it to the wire.
But in an interview for Sky Sports News ahead of Arsenal’s final game against Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports on Sunday, Arteta has told actor and Arsenal fan Tom Hiddleston that he was able to visualise lifting the trophy as early as two months ago.
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“I imagined winning it many times,” said Arteta. “Especially because we’ve been very close in a few seasons.
“But this time, especially, there was something. I’ve done a lot of visualisation over the last few months.
“I could close my eyes and I could get to that picture immediately, and that was different to the other seasons.
“Not from the beginning of the season, it was more around March, April when I started that.
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“I knew that was the moment that was going to define the season.
“And, OK, what are the things that you can learn from the past that we didn’t have, or which I did that can be done in a different way to help the players to get over the line?”
Asked by Hiddleston what exactly he visualised, Arteta added: “It was a picture of myself 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’s players and staff celebrated their success wildly at the club’s training ground on Tuesday before heading into central London, where they were joined by their manager.
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Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze were all spotted outside the Emirates Stadium in the early hours of the morning celebrating Arsenal’s title win
Meanwhile, thousands of fans gathered at the Emirates Stadium, where there was an appearance from Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze in the early hours of the morning.
“It’s incredible,” said Arteta. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time, but when it actually happens, it’s different to anything that I imagined.
“I could never expect such a joy and togetherness, and something that happens organically in the manner that it happened straight after we won it. It was magical to witness that.”
Arteta also revealed he used a recent speech by Hiddleston on Sky Sports News, in which he referenced a Billie Jean King’s quote that pressure is a privilege, to motivate his players during the run-in.
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Hollywood actor and Arsenal fan Tom Hiddleston appeared on Sky Sports News with some advice for the players during the run-in
“It’s beautiful what you said, in the manner that you articulated it,” Arteta told Hiddleston.
“You said it in such a powerful way that it was 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 secured, attention is already turning towards next Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.
Arteta says he and his players are determined to add a historic European success to their domestic triumph having reached the final without losing any of their 14 games.
“We have raised different standards now,” he said.
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“This is where we are right 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. The energy has been incredible around the place with the boys, with everybody, because we have a lot of families, a lot of people who know each other, a lot of people connected in and around the club.
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“And you see the joy, but you see as well the ambition. We’ve done that, but now we want this one.
“And with the journey that we had in the Champions League this season, I think we need to be very confident. that we have the ability to go and win it.”
‘I enjoy the difficult times too’
Arteta added that Arsenal’s past disappointments make their success this season all the sweeter and praised his coaching staff, which was bolstered by the addition of Gabriel Heinze last summer, as the best in the world.
“I enjoy that part as well,” he said. “I love it. Why is it not happening? Trying to figure it out and dissect what is not right, find it and change it.
“That’s what makes you a better coach, and to have that curiosity, first of all to be humble enough to look at yourself before criticising players.
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Mikel Arteta reveals how he found out he was a Premier League champion
“What haven’t I done right? Why is this not clicking? Why is this not happening in the manner I thought it would play out?
“And then find a way. And then, when it happens, it’s more rewarding than before, because you’ve been able to identify things and that’s not easy to do.
“But in order to do that as well, you need to surround yourself with the best. And I feel lucky that, in my opinion, I have the best coaching staff in the world and some of the very best staff in the world, to open your eyes, to guide you, to make you think, to open new possibilities as well.
“I think that’s very important and they deserve a lot of credit.”