While Manchester City were dismantling Crystal Palace at the Etihad on Wednesday night, Mikel Arteta was attending a dinner organised by club sponsor Emirates.
The Arsenal manager did not watch his former side and insists the result, which denied the Gunners the chance to seal the title against Burnley on Monday, changes nothing in terms of preparation for the final home game of the season.
“We focus just on the things that are in our hands,” he said on Thursday morning. “To prepare in the best possible way to beat Burnley, that’s it.”
Victory over the Clarets would restore Arsenal’s five-point lead at the top and crank up the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side, who face an awkward few days. City meet Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday before travelling to the Vitality Stadium to take on Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, who are still chasing Champions League qualification.
Any slip on Tuesday would mean game over, but Arteta was in no mood to entertain talk of title permutations or squad watch parties.
“We prepare just to beat Burnley, that’s it. I’m sorry, we’re not thinking about that type of thing, the only focus is on Burnley and winning that game, that’s the thing that we can control.”
The season is now 270 days old. If Arsenal win their remaining three matches over the next 16 days, they will become the first side in the club’s history to complete a league and European Cup double.
The enormity of the moment is obvious, but Arteta senses a squad fully immersed in the present rather than consumed by the stakes.
“The team is really present, it’s just living the moment. It’s emotionally in a really good state, I think, the energy level is the right one, we have most players available now – okay, we lost Ben [White] the other day, but the other ones are coming back – and everybody, obviously, is so enthusiastic and so positive about the way that we can finish the season.”
With margins at the top so fine, goal difference and goals scored could yet prove decisive. Burnley, already relegated and owners of the league’s worst defensive record, arrive in north London at a moment when Arsenal may need to be ruthless.
“First of all, you have to earn the right to win the game,” said Arteta.
“Obviously, you can make a difference with more goals; that’s obviously even better. But we’re all playing very tough matches. We had a tough match against West Ham and we managed to win it. It was a great feeling, but we know ideally that scoring goals is going to be important.
“I think it’s part of the narrative,” he added. “There are various options, and this could be one of those. It’s a factor that is important from the start of the season. We know that the difference is so small, and if you can make the difference bigger in your favour, obviously, we want to do it.”
Last week, ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, supporter group RedAction helped set the tone with a “meet the coach” event outside Emirates Stadium. Thousands lined the streets to welcome the team bus, and the atmosphere carried into one of the loudest nights the stadium has witnessed.
The group plans to repeat the event before Burnley’s visit on Monday, and Arteta made clear the players felt the impact.
“I loved it,” he said. “I think all the players have loved it. I think he builds an energy connection with them that we haven’t experienced before.
“The whole preparation and the whole atmosphere showed that the level of meaning was higher, and the level of implication, desire and passion from our supporters was different as well. It really helped.
“The players were in the other bus, but I could see straight away all the staff and everybody was there looking at each other. I said, ‘Wow, we’re taking this now to a different level.’ Just looking at the engagement, the passion, the enthusiasm of our fans in their eyes, I think that was something.”
The decision by Sky Sports to move the fixture from Sunday to Monday at relatively short notice has frustrated supporters and the club alike, particularly given concerns it could affect attendance for the post-match lap of appreciation.
At this stage, though, there is little point in dwelling on it. Arteta wants the occasion embraced for what it still is, another potentially huge night in a season already overflowing with them.
“It’s the schedule that we have. Obviously, it’s been extremely demanding from the beginning. The team has coped with that in a really fantastic way. There is no other choice.
“We have the opportunity and our supporters. It’s going to be a Monday night. Let’s take it in a really positive way. Hopefully, we do something incredible with our supporters. We can replicate any of that.”