Mikel Arteta sends brutal title race message to Arsenal squad as Gunners run out of excuses

This year was supposed to be different.

Like it or loathe it, Arsenal blew the title race last season. They led the way for 248 days and still came up short. No team has ever matched that in Premier League history.

Still though there were mitigating circumstances that make that kind of soundbite analysis a little harsh.

This was a first title challenge for most at Arsenal, including the manager Mikel Arteta. There were also gaping holes of depth in the squad. That’s before we even mention the fact that they were decimated by injuries to crucial players at just the wrong time in the run in.

This time around though, if you were to create conditions for a title challenge in a lab, Arteta couldn’t ask for a much better set of circumstances. Yes, they have a few tough fixtures, but Arsenal are a year older and a year wiser, they’ve addressed their depth issues with smart summer acquisitions and the only absentee from the squad is Jurrien Timber. By their manager’s own admission they have “grown as a team.”

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So why then in their two most pressurised games of the season so far have they come up short, just as they did last season?

Arsenal may point to a congested fixture list. They certainly looked exhausted as they were utterly outplayed in the latter stages on Sunday. Tiredness can hardly be an excuse though, considering that Aston Villa had had two days less rest after their midweek European exploits.

After Arteta’s third game in charge of Arsenal — a 2-0 victory over Manchester United that had come at the end of a festive period that had seen them play