Mikel Arteta has urged his side to “raise the level” after a frustrating draw with Brentford, while also preaching “calm” as Arsenal head into the final third of the season with a four-point cushion at the top.
The Gunners arrived in west London off the back of wins over Leeds and Sunderland – a welcome response to that limp defeat at Manchester United – but found life difficult against a physical Brentford side who came into the game boasting the second-best form in the league over the last 10 matches, bettered only by Arsenal themselves.
“That’s what we have to do,” said Arteta when asked about the importance of not panicking.
“We’re going to be willing and preparing to win every single match, and the only thing we can do is focus on that, and raise the levels, collectively and individually, to be better than the opponent every week.
“That’s going to carry on like this until May. They’re the things we have to do, and that’s the most important thing.”
The first half was largely forgettable – aside from a fine save by David Raya from Igor Thiago, tidying up a mess of his own making – but after the break, Arsenal enjoyed 15 minutes of dominance, inspired by substitute Martin Odegaard.
The pressure paid off when Noni Madueke looped home a header from Piero Hincapie’s cross. Brentford, buoyed by a lively home crowd, didn’t fold. Ten minutes later, Keane Lewis-Potter levelled, the goal arriving from a familiar pattern of set pieces that unsettled a side more accustomed to being the aggressor in those situations.
“Against them, that [a goal] is not enough, because they just need somebody making a foul that is unnecessary. A ball in the channel – they push you. The clearance is not good – ball goes for a throw-in. Then you have to pray, because they are exceptional at what they do.
“The chaos that is in and around that ball is very, very difficult to defend, and we said, you want to win here, you’re going to have to defend the box with your life, and you’re going to have to clear the ball, because there’s a lot of people there, and if you don’t do that, it’s very difficult for you to win the game. We haven’t done it in one of the actions.”
Arsenal weren’t short on bravery in the duels, but a lack of cohesion in the final third, not helped by Odegaard picking up a knock and an anonymous cameo by the returning Bukayo Saka, left them vulnerable to counters, which suited Brentford’s runners. Both sides had chances to nick it late on – Thiago rampaging without the finishing touch, before substitute Gabriel Martinelli found himself through on goal only to be denied by Caoimhin Kelleher.
Asked whether the Brazilian had to score, Arteta was blunt.
“You have to. It’s football, and the keeper, as well, can make the decision and the action that he did. But if you want to win here, you’re going to have to be really ruthless in both boxes, and today we lacked that.”
A point away from home is rarely disastrous, but context matters. A temporary nine-point lead has been trimmed to four inside five days, and that inevitably stings.
“I understand [the points gap could be bigger], but that’s ‘if, if, if’,” said Arteta.
“If we’d lost at Newcastle, we’d have been eight points behind Liverpool in October. So, ‘if, if’, there are a lot of ‘ifs’ over 10 months in this competition. You can only focus on what you have to do, and try to do that in the best possible way.”
You don’t win titles in February, but you can make them harder than they need to be. Brentford was a reminder that fine margins remain exactly that – fine. Arsenal have shown they can respond to setbacks before, and they’ll need to do it again.
First, it’s Wigan in the cup, a game that needs to be tackled without any drama.