Gabriel Magalhaes has now admitted the one thing he believes Arsenal ‘need’ for Mikel Arteta to lead the Gunners to a title after falling short in pursuit of the Premier League.
The north London natives took their fight to the final day of the 2023/24 season but finished two points short. Pep Guardiola oversaw the first team to win four Premier League titles in a row, with Manchester City winning their last nine games and last losing a game in December.
Arsenal were also the last team to prevent Manchester City from taking all three points with a 0-0 draw in March. But a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa meant the Gunners lost control of the title race. Arteta had his side sat atop the table with seven games to go before their loss.
Gabriel Magalhaes has ‘never’ seen togetherness like Arsenal’s before
Bayern Munich even booted Arsenal out of the Champions League with a 3-2 aggregate win in the quarter-finals. While Liverpool kicked the Gunners out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win in the third round. West Ham United also beat Arsenal 3-1 in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
It was the first time since 2010 that Arsenal advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But the 23/24 campaign also marked the fourth successive term where Arteta has failed to guide his team beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup since they won it in 2019/20.
READ MORE: All Arsenal legends in the Premier League Hall of Fame from Henry to Wenger
The 2020 FA Cup is the only title that Arteta has added to Arsenal’s trophy cabinet since the Gunners hired him to replace Unai Emery in December 2019. But Gabriel believes the squad are tracking in the right direction as they have a togetherness he has ‘never’ seen anywhere.
“Everybody wants the same thing: to win titles,” Gabriel has told the Arsenal club website. “The team needs to be together if we are to achieve that in future. Everyone has that same mentality and we are all determined for it.
“That’s the way to go forward. It comes from everyone, not just the players. Togetherness means one group. Your family, your friends, your teammates, the coaches, the chefs – everyone needs to do their thing for the group.
“Here – how we play, how we stick together, how we work for each other – I’ve never seen this anywhere else before. It’s a dream for me to be a part of it.”
Arsenal’s BBQ in Dubai was vital for launching their title bid
Arteta has made a big deal of making Arsenal feel like an extended family for their players to support their title quests. The Gunners also invited their players’ families to a team-bonding trip to Dubai in January. Arsenal used their winter break to hold a warm-weather mini-camp.
READ MORE: The 8 worst Arsenal VAR decisions of all time in Premier League games
“It was an amazing time there,” Oleksandr Zinchenko told The Athletic in January. “A good refresh. The connection between all of us went to another level. We had a BBQ over there with everyone so we can get to know each other much better, with the families.”
Their trip to Dubai proved vital in bringing Arsenal together and establishing a genuine title bid. Arteta saw his side lose to West Ham and Fulham in the top-flight, plus Liverpool in the FA Cup, in the space of 11 days before winning their eight following Premier League fixtures.