The Arsenal players were given two days off following Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City, a rare pocket of breathing space at a crucial stage of the season. It offered a chance to rest weary legs, clear tired minds and, perhaps most importantly, draw a line under a difficult run of results.
If the defeat to Bournemouth fell well below the standards Arsenal have set themselves, the loss at the Etihad at least offered reasons for encouragement. The Gunners carried out their game plan well for long spells and, but for the width of the post and some wasteful finishing, might easily have come away with the draw that would have preserved a little daylight over Pep Guardiola’s side.
Instead, Arsenal go into tonight’s meeting with Newcastle in second place, separated only on goals scored. The title race has narrowed into a five-game sprint, a mini-league in Mikel Arteta’s words that brings welcome “clarity”.
The stakes between now and the end of May are obvious. One slip could prove fatal. Somehow, the players have to shut out the noise, something they have not always managed in recent weeks, refocus and throw everything at what remains.
“It’s just game by game and about being in the moment and trying to win every time you play,” says captain Martin Odegaard in his pre-game programme notes.
“Our mentality is to keep going, because we always knew it was going to be hard right up to the very end. We are working hard, sticking together and looking forward to every game. It’s all to play for, and it’s the best part of the season.
“We all know what we are playing for, and we are all determined and focused. There are a lot of games to be played, and at this time of the year, it’s just about feeling fresh and ready.
“We’ve got five games left in the league now, and it’s a good situation to be in. With the Champions League as well, there’s an incredible opportunity for us, so we will be giving everything for the remaining six weeks.
“That’s the situation you want to be in at the end of the season, and we are there. We now just make sure we make the most out of every single day and every single game.”
The rest of the squad appear to be singing from the same hymn sheet. Gabriel Martinelli, speaking to Sky Sports, did not shy away from offering his own rallying cry.
“We’ve been doing super well during the season. This is the moment that we need to step up, and we need to show the players that we are. Everyone knows the privilege it is to be in this position.
“We have full belief, we believe in ourselves. We know what we can do on the pitch and we just need to keep going. The last few games, they weren’t our best performance, but we trust in ourselves, we just have to keep going.”
He also admitted the chance to step away for a couple of days had come at the right time.
“I don’t remember the last time we had a week before to rest and to just clear the mind. For me personally, it was really good to just not think about football, to do my own thing, and just to stay with my friends and family. It was good. When we came back, everyone was just really happy and looking forward to playing the game against Newcastle.”
William Saliba also touched on the importance of switching off. The France international has spent much of the season talking up Arsenal’s determination not to finish second again, and has rarely hidden his belief that this squad can get the job done.
Asked by Rog from Men in Blazers how long it took him to get over last weekend’s defeat to City, the defender said: “I think two days.”
He added: “Now I’m better, but like Monday, Tuesday, I was still like not happy, but now I’m good.
“I hate to lose, especially this kind of game because we play against City, it’s our rival, so we want to win. But when you don’t win, you’re at home, you’re so sad. You say, why we didn’t win? Why I didn’t do that? What I could do better? But after it’s OK, we lost, and now you have to be focused on what’s next.
“I don’t have a special routine. I just try to move on as quickly as I can. When you go in the training ground, when you see the staff, the coach and people around, they try to help you and to give you a good mood.”
Saliba’s final message to the team was as blunt as it was simple.
“I think we need to be calm. We need to die on the pitch as well because it’s now we have to go. We need everyone, the fans, the team, the staff, everyone, because we have to do it now.
It’s too late. When the season is finished, it’s too late. It’s now. You have to give everything and die on the pitch.”
The break is over, the heads have hopefully cleared, and the hard part starts now. Arsenal cannot change what happened at the Etihad, only what they do next. Newcastle is the first step in a run that leaves no space for hesitation.