Arsenal return to action this midweek for the first time since their crushing defeat away to Manchester City, having lost 4-1 to Pep Guardiola's side. As a result, the Cityzens are now top of the table, with City's 2-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday seeing them move one point clear of the Gunners.
Many believe that defeat at the Etihad Stadium decided this season's exciting title race, one that Arsenal were leading for the majority of the campaign. Form favors Haaland and Co. and the English giants have a one-point advantage, a superior goal difference, and a game in hand when compared to the North London heavyweights.
Additionally, Arteta's men have a dreadful trip to St. James' Park coming while Manchester City's toughest away game remaining this season is their visit to Brighton — De Zerbi's side are exceptional but the Amex Stadium isn't St. James' Park.
However, what are Mikel's thoughts on the title race? During his pre-game press conference for the home clash with Chelsea, the Spaniard opened up about his team's odds of winning their first Premier League crown since 2004 and touched upon the club's return to the UEFA Champions League.
While most Arsenal fans have yielded the title race, Arteta hasn't taken that approach. Speaking ahead of Tuesday's London Derby, the highly-rated 41-year-old tactician argued that the race isn't over and that his side can still pip Manchester City to the crown.
However, the Emirates Stadium boss admitted that the title is no longer theirs to lose as Guardiola's men simply need to win their remaining fixtures in order to defend their crown successfully.
"We have achieved what was difficult to achieve and we can still achieve the Premier League because there are five games to go and there are a lot of things that are still going to happen," the manager said, as per Arsenal's official website.
"What we have to do is forget about what happened last week, learn from it and move on to the next game at home with our people for a London derby and put things right."
Additionally, Arteta disagreed with the notion that his side are simply competing against a juggernaut and are thus being unfairly criticized for letting their grip on the Premier League title slip. Instead, Mikel argued that it is fair to demand a lot from the Gunners as they should be winning the biggest trophies and not simply competing.
"I don't think it's unfair, it's football. We are Arsenal Football Club and we have to be here to win every single trophy - these are the demands.
"What happened in the last 50 years, that's not the reality but the demands have to be there. The things that I like the most are: 'great, we are in the Champions League' and everybody isn't satisfied with the situation and this is what we need if we want to move forward as a club, and as a team."
The Gunners are winless in their last four games in the league, drawing three times in a row against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton before the defeat to City. While a UEFA Champions League spot has been secured, Arsenal must return to winning ways when Chelsea visit them.
The last time Arteta's men locked horns with the Blues, they triumphed 1-0. However, Graham Potter was in charge at the time and Frank Lampard will be responsible for this fixture.
