I Love Our Will to Win

Will power is an invaluable asset when pursuing any goal, helping you overcome even the greatest of challenges. This song serves as an inspiring reminder that success requires hard work and perseverance.

Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who currently leads Premier League club Arsenal. Prior to that he played for Everton, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Rangers.

At a club beset by tragedy and heartache, Arsenal have adopted a mantra which serves as a daily reminder to them of what their focus should be: Winning. Arteta says their new motto “binds them together” and has reinvigorated some of the fearlessness which led them so close to winning last season’s title race.

Arteta’s tenure with Arsenal began as an initial loan before signing permanently in 2005. He went on to serve as captain for multiple seasons and is widely considered to be among the greatest ever players to wear an Arsenal shirt.

Arteta believes his side are still in contention for top four, even after drawing with Liverpool and West Ham and dominating Manchester United in their game last weekend. Furthermore, they’ve shown they can be serious threats this year.

I love the atmosphere

Arsenal’s revival this season is helped by an upbeat atmosphere at The Emirates – once derided as one of the dullest venues for Premier League action. Arteta’s presence plays an essential part, while so too do his players.

After an intense match at Anfield where Gunners edged past City 2-1 and extended their advantage by eight points in the table. Hear what this Spaniard thought!

Prior to the game, Arteta predicted an atmosphere resembling “a jungle”, and his prediction proved accurate. Marcus Rashford opened up for the visitors but Kai Havertz equalised shortly thereafter and it looked as though it might peter out before Declan Rice scored late into injury time for victory. Arteta’s reaction on hearing the final whistle showed his own emotion – his normally reserved and earnest demeanour was masking intense feelings underneath.

I love the players

Arteta joined Everton on loan during the 2005 January transfer window and quickly established himself as a key figure at the club, winning both fans’ and players’ player of the season awards. Later on he relocated abroad, representing teams such as Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers and Real Sociedad before eventually returning home again to Everton on loan in 2018.

He won his inaugural trophy as Arsenal manager in 2020 when they captured the FA Cup by beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final, making him only the second club boss since George Graham to achieve this feat in his inaugural year as manager.

He will have been thrilled when Declan Rice scored his first goal for the club against Manchester City on Saturday in the 96th minute and Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka all returned to starting roles recently. Kai Havertz thought he had given them the lead with an hour left until his penalty was overturned; Arteta remains confident the German will soon make a positive contribution.

I love the supporters

Arteta’s leadership has inspired an incredible sense of unity at Arsenal that has not only been inspiring but also heartening. Although some were angered by his decision not to include Granit Xhaka for last season’s 2-1 defeat at Brentford, his side eventually recovered from such an off-putting start and gained many new admirers thanks to him.

He has created a new style of football and brought consistency to their game model in possession, enabling them to be more unpredictable and versatile in their approach. All while explaining his methodology – providing “why” rather than simply giving orders.

His pre-recorded message to supporters this weekend encouraged them to ‘demand more from each other’, calling on Arsenal players and fans alike to recreate the fearless spirit that took them so close to winning the Premier League championship. His encouragement will undoubtedly resonate with both club and fan alike.

I Love Our Will to Win