Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta congratulated newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool but admitted a feeling of pain after his side fell short in their bid for the top-flight crown for a third consecutive season.
Liverpool thumped Tottenham 5-1 on Sunday to extend an unassailable lead at the top with four games left.
After pushing Manchester City to the limit in the last two seasons, it is yet another blow for Arsenal, as Arteta stated Liverpool deserved their triumph.
“I understand that [Liverpool] are a team that is being more consistent and they have a lot of ingredients that you need to win it, but it’s very painful,” he said on Friday.
“I take the opportunity as well to congratulate Liverpool and what they’ve done in the manner that they’ve done, how consistent they’ve been.
“And I think they fully deserve to win it. They were the better team. They had so many attributes. They had consistently their squad available.
“And we’re going to try again. But up to that moment next season, now we’re going to have to finish the season very strong.”
Arsenal have not lifted the Premier League title since 2004, under Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners’ title bid has been weakened by a persistent injury crisis, with six first-team players still out.
Arteta, who was also without the suspended Thomas Partey for their 1-0 defeat in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, outlined the weight of the problem.
“I was very shocked just before the game against PSG at home because I was walking into the dressing room and suddenly I saw all of them together sitting,” he said.
“It was [Takehiro] Tomiyasu, next to him [Riccardo] Calafiori, next to him Gabriel Magalhaes, next to him Thomas Partey, next to him Kai Havertz, next to him Gabriel Jesus, next to him Jorginho.
“I said, ‘That’s a starting line-up’. And we don’t have them. We haven’t had them for many, many months. And then I felt joy about the team and what they are doing and how they’re trying and nobody’s talking about it in the building at all.”
Arteta, whose side play host mid-table Bournemouth on Saturday, said finishing second in the Premier League was the target now.
Arsenal are five points adrift of third-placed Newcastle with four games to play, with the top five all qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
