Arteta Urges Arsenal Players to Break 2026 Premier League Curse After Three Seasons of Disappointment

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has challenged his players to finally break their long-standing New Year curse as the club pushes for its first Premier League title since 2004.

The Gunners are currently four points ahead of Manchester City at the halfway stage of the season, putting them in a strong position to lift the title. However, history has not been kind to Arsenal. In the last 23 years, they have finished top of the table at the end of the year five times, but failed to win the league on all occasions.

The most recent disappointment came three seasons ago when Arsenal led at the New Year but ended the season five points behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s away match against Bournemouth, Arteta admitted he was not aware of the worrying statistic but made his intentions clear.

“Let’s break it,” the Spanish coach said.

Arteta revealed that his players are highly motivated to finally end their title drought after finishing second three seasons in a row.

Arteta and his Playes — Photo courtesy: Getty Images

“You can see the hunger every day in training and during matches,” he said.
“The desire and energy are there. That’s exactly what we need.”

Despite Arsenal’s strong position, Arteta warned against complacency, noting that the season still has five months to go.

“We take it one game at a time and enjoy the process,” he added.

The Arsenal boss also praised his team’s confidence following their 4-1 victory over Aston Villa earlier in the week. Their title rivals Manchester City were held to a goalless draw by Sunderland, further boosting Arsenal’s hopes.

“It was a very good performance against strong opposition,” Arteta said.
“Now our full focus is on Bournemouth. It will be a tough game.”

While pleased with Arsenal’s current standing, Arteta insisted there is still room for improvement.

“It can always be better,” he said.
“Every game in this league is difficult.”

Arsenal have struggled with injuries this season, but there is some positive news. Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Jesus have returned to action. However, Declan Rice remains a doubt after missing the Villa match due to a knee injury.

“We’ll assess him after training,” Arteta explained.
“That last game came too early for him.”

As Arsenal head into the second half of the season, fans will be hoping this is finally the year they turn strong starts into Premier League glory.