Mikel Arteta dismisses comparisons with Tottenham after Europa League victory
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has offered his congratulations to Tottenham Hotspur following their Europa League victory, but declined to weigh in on whether Spurs have had a better season than his own side.
Tottenham lifted the Europa League trophy on Wednesday night after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United in the final in Bilbao. The triumph ended a 17-year wait for major silverware and marked the club’s first European title since 1984.
Speaking on Thursday, Arteta acknowledged Spurs’ achievement: “Just congratulate them. I think they are champions, and when you get to that, you have to do a lot of things right,” he said.
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“I think they have gone through a season with again a lot of obstacles and difficulties, and they have helped them at the end to manage a beautiful moment.
“So you have to congratulate. This is a sport and I am sure they have done everything in their hands to achieve it and they are very happy.”
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Despite their European glory, Tottenham’s domestic form has been far from convincing. They have lost 21 matches in the Premier League this season—more than in any other top-flight campaign in the club’s history—and sit 17th in the table with one game remaining.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are set to finish second in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, though they finished the season without silverware. The Gunners’ last major trophy came in 2020, when they won the FA Cup.
Asked if Spurs’ trophy win made their season more successful than Arsenal’s, Arteta remained diplomatic: “I don’t like to compare with other teams. I need to analyse my team. That’s my job.”
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