“We have to keep the focus on ourselves" - Martin Odegaard urges Arsenal team to keep PL title belief ahead of Everton clash
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard has shared his thoughts ahead of their final game of the season against Everton at the Emirates on May 19. The Gunners need to get a result against the Toffees and hope Manchester City drop points against West Ham United to win the title.
The north London side have had an excellent 2023-24 season following up from their title challenge last season. They led the table for 248 days in the 2022-23 season but fell short towards the end. This time, however, they have taken it to the final day of the campaign.
Arsenal sit two points behind Manchester City atop the table but have a better goal difference by one. Hence, if the Gunners beat Everton, the Cityzens will have to beat West Ham at home to retain the title.
Ahead of the game, skipper Martin Odegaard urged his teammates and fans to believe, saying (via Tribal Football):
“We have to keep the focus on ourselves, keep the spirit high and keep believing. We have to make sure we do our job. I think the task is clear now: if we win, and Manchester City don't, then it's all for us."
He added:
“The only thing we can do is focus on ourselves, win our game and then we will see where that takes us. Anything can happen in football, we've seen stranger things happen before so the main thing is to focus on our game and just look at it as another game we have to win.
“That's all we can do, we can't control anything else. It's down to us to ensure we have a good end to the season, finish with a win at home and then we'll see. There is just one game left, let's go and win it."
Manchester City have won their last eight Premier League games after dropping points in a goalless draw against Arsenal on March 31.
A look at Arsenal and Manchester City's recent form
Manchester City dropping the points against West Ham United will hand the Premier League title to Arsenal if they beat Everton. However, the Cityzens have won their last six games in a row, keeping five clean sheets and scoring 18 goals.
City last drew a game against Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg. They were eliminated after the penalty shootout. They also drew the first leg 3-3. In the Premier League, meanwhile, they last dropped points in March against Arsenal at home.
Manchester City's last loss came on December 7 when they lost 1-0 against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Incidentally, Arsenal's last Premier League defeat also came against Villa at the Emirates on April 14. Since then, they've won their five league games. The Gunners did lose 1-0 in the second of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, getting eliminated, on April 17.