Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal’s hunger has only grown despite their pre-season defeat, while also revealing his ambition to build a “dynasty” at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners were beaten in Spain on Tuesday night, but the Arsenal manager was far more interested in the lessons his side could take into the new campaign than the final score.
Arteta fielded two different XIs across the two halves as he continued to build fitness ahead of the Community Shield and the start of Arsenal’s Premier League title defence later this month.
The Spaniard admitted he was disappointed with aspects of his team’s display, particularly their defending around the penalty area.
“Always upset when you lose a football match,” Arteta said after the game.
“There are two different things, to play well and to compete well.”
“We did the first one quite well in a lot of moments, but the compete part, especially in and around our box, is not to the standards to win a football match against a good side.”
Arteta pointed to a sloppy goal from a corner and costly mistakes in dangerous areas, although he suggested the defeat could prove beneficial before competitive football begins.
“It’s always good when you lose a match in pre-season because it creates a bit more fire in the belly,” he added.
The Arsenal boss also delivered a powerful message about the club’s long-term ambitions after ending the 22-year wait for a Premier League title last season.
Rather than focusing solely on retaining the crown, Arteta said his objective is to establish sustained success in north London.
“All the work that I’ve done through the summer is to understand what we need to do to win again and to create a dynasty at this football club.”
“That’s the aim.”
Arteta also made it clear he believes Arsenal can become even stronger before the transfer window closes.
The Premier League champions have already strengthened key areas of the squad this summer with the arrivals of Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier, while Bruno Guimaraes is also expected to complete his move from Newcastle United.
However, the Arsenal manager hinted that more additions remain possible.
“We’re going to attack every possible title because that’s the ambition that we have,” he said.
“We know that we have the ability.”
“We will go from strength to strength, whether it’s with the players that we have to take them to a different level or with the market that is still open to recruit as well.”
Arteta refused to comment on reports surrounding Arsenal’s remaining transfer targets, insisting he could not discuss players contracted to other clubs.
“I cannot talk about any player that is not an Arsenal player.”
The biggest concern from the evening, however, centred on an injury suffered by one of Arsenal’s younger players, Louie Copley.
Arteta admitted he was “quite worried” by the initial signs and confirmed the youngster will undergo scans before the club determines the severity of the problem.