“In my heart and in my soul … this is what I am hoping for, yes,” Mikel Arteta says, as he prepares to go through the routine once again. It will be for the third time in the past fortnight or so and yet it is a movie the Arsenal manager has seen on countless occasions over the years – from a role on both sides, which only adds to the drama; the fear factor, too, which he must surely fight.
Arteta’s team play first on Saturday as the Premier League title race nears its climax – at home to Bournemouth at 12.30pm. And then the defending champions, Manchester City, will have to respond when they host Wolves at 5.30pm.
