Gunners must heal after throwing away title

LONDON. — Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says his side have had “an incredible journey” but now “must heal” after falling away in the Premier League title race.

The Gunners’ defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday saw Manchester City confirmed as champions for the third straight season, while Arteta and his players are left wondering what might have been.

After a flying start to the season, Arsenal were eight points clear at the top of the table after 18 games and held the same lead over City at the start of April, albeit having played a game more.

However, a run of just two wins in their last eight games has allowed Pep Guardiola’s team to overhaul them and clinch the title with three games to spare.

“I am incapable of thinking about it right now. We have to congratulate City,” Arteta told BBC Match of the Day.

“It has been an incredible journey for us over 10 months competing with City, being ahead of them for so long.

“We have learned huge lessons. We have transformed a lot at this club. We have made huge steps, but the icing on the cake is to win a championship and we fell short.”

Arsenal led the way for 248 days of the 2022-23 season, the most without finishing first in English top-flight history.

After such a dramatic dropoff, Arteta is now searching for a way to galvanise his squad for the last game of the season and beyond.

“This is football. It is a very sad day, we have been working for 11 months with that aim and have been on top for so many days,” he told Sky Sports. “We have competed but we didn’t have enough.

“Now we must heal. It is very painful. I have to find a way to lift the players and we have a tough week ahead of us.”