Arsenal -Manager Mikel Arteta insists that he is proud to get the club in a position where people expect them to win big trophies.
The Gunners will be guaranteed to finish second in the Premier League for a third consecutive season, regardless of their result to Southampton on the last day, after they missed the Liverpool title.
They also lost in the semi-final of the Champions League of Paris Saint-Germain, the EFL cup semi-final of Newcastle and were beaten in the FA Cup Third Round by Manchester United to guarantee a trophy season.
“The biggest thing is and the use of the word proud is that we have put the club into a position that you have to win a big trophy next season,” said Arteta a press conference.
That means that everyone believes that we have the level, that we have shown the consistency, and we are an elite team in this country and in Europe and if you don't, what will happen? So for me that is the biggest explanation – that Arsenal is there.
“We all feel the same way that we feel that we are able to win the Premier League. It is not just a dream or it is not just something you want to do. It is that we have everything that is needed? Even if you do that, there are many things that play a role to win.”
In the following season, meanwhile, he acknowledged the need for extra support in the future after the injury of Kai Havertz in February had left them for three months without a recognized striker.
“What is also clear with the amount of injuries we had in the front line, that we need the target threat. We need the firepower that is there,” he said.
For Southampton, Mateus Fernandes has meanwhile been able to take the positive campaign of a difficult campaign in his first season in England after he had been declaring the Daily Echo Player of the Year in England.
“First of all, thanks. I am very happy, to be honest, it is a dream for me to play in England too. It was a difficult season for everyone,” he told the Southern Daily Echo.
“I am now a much better player than before. I think my personality outside the field is completely different than within the field.
“I don't like to speak too much outside the field. But I have a passion to play football, run, to try to be competitive with the other team, and of course try to win.
“It means a lot to me. I think when I speak, I speak for the players. We play for the fans, the most important in football are the fans.”
The 20-year-old took out Sporting in August and acknowledged the enormous differences between Games in Portugal and the Premier League.
“You can't compare the Portuguese league with the Premier League. It's a different level. When I did my first training session on the training field, all players were quality,” he said.
“So I set my goals as if I have to pretend to do a maximum of 20 starts in the games, and I liked 30. So it was much better than I assumed.”
Everton 2-0 Southampton
The last competitive men's competition in Goodison Park ends in an Everton victory.
The first half of the first half of Iliman Ndiaye means that the toffees go on a high. pic.twitter.com/6ctpbtybdj
– Opta Analyst (@Optaanalyst) May 18, 2025
Players to watch
Southampton – Paul Onuachu
Onuachu is Southampton's top scorer this season with four goals, while he also offered one assist.
The Nigerian attacker is also an average of 1.4 shots per match, which is more than any other Saints player.
Arsenal – Declan Rice
In his last five league matches, Rice had a hand in four goals (two goals, two assists).
Rice scored the only goal of the game in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Newcastle last weekend and brought him on 19 goal contributions in all competitions (nine goals, 10 assists) this season.
Match prediction: Arsenal Win
Southampton has lost 29 Premier League matches this season. Reports here would be the first team that loses 30 times in a single campaign in the history of the competition, while also the first team to do this in a 38-game top-flight season.
Arsenal has only lost two of their last 16 Premier League matches against Southampton (W8 D6) and fell in December 2018 (2-3) and April 2022 (0-1).
This season, visitors also won seven games against teams against teams currently in the lower four of the table, score 20 goals and only admitted five.
The hosts are the lowest scorers in the Premier League with only 25 goals in 37 games and did not score in one of their last three.
Opta wins probability
Southampton – 12.7%
Drawing – 20.3%
Arsenal – 69.1%