Mikel Arteta and his players repeatedly reiterated on Sunday that their job is not yet finished, with the Champions League final coming up and the team’s new status as Premier League champions.
The Arsenal players celebrated their Premier League title success on Sunday, lifting the trophy at Selhurst Park in front of a jubilant away end, but if there was one message consistently coming out of the post-match interviews, it was that their job isn’t quite done yet.
“We had a great celebration on Tuesday, the vibes are unreal, everyone is so happy,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard told Sky Sports after the game. “But we have another big final, you know, in just a week. So we’ll wait to party for after that.
“We’re off tomorrow, and then Tuesday training, so we’ll go easy tonight I think. We’ve got to enjoy it and make sure we’re ready and go for it, and hopefully we can do it.”
Declan Rice revealed that manager Mikel Arteta has already started focusing the squad on their next game and the chance to win a historic double.
“I think that’s the message from the manager already, is that we just need to enjoy today, but tomorrow it’s full focus on PSG,” Rice said. “We’ve got a massive opportunity there. And we want that, you know, we want the double, we want to push for that.”
Meanwhile, William Saliba appeared to be thinking not just about the Champions League final on Saturday, but about Arsenal’s title defence next season.
“We will come back again next season to try to win as well,” Saliba said. “It’s my first one, so I’m happy but I’m not full. I want more.”
As for Arteta, he suggested he’ll try to find a balance between celebrating Arsenal’s title success and focusing on trying to win the Champions League over the next week.
“We need to [celebrate] because we need that energy to flow and going against that, I think it will be a big mistake,” Arteta insisted.
“We’ve already talked about what we have to do in Budapest, how we’re going to use all the incredible energy that we’re all carrying towards that final and tomorrow we’re going to start to prepare for it.
“We can’t wait to write for the new chapter in the history of our club and win the Champions League.
“We are the champions and that brings a lot of confidence and a different kind of presence and energy to it. But another kind of responsibility as well.
“My job now, and everybody at the club, is going to be to live those standards now and achieve more and more because I think we are capable of winning.”
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