Mikel Arteta believes there will be another Invincibles outfit – because all records eventually get broken.
Manchester City’s shock loss to Wolves last Saturday left Arsenal, who host the English champions this afternoon, and rivals Tottenham as the only unbeaten top-flight teams coming into this weekend.
But while he stopped short of predicting either of them will match the extraordinary feats of Arsene Wenger’s 2003-04 Invincibles – and go undefeated for an entire league campaign – the Gunners chief is certainly not ruling out it happening again…in the future.
After all, Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Treble holders have torn up the Premier League record books constantly while securing a three titles on the bounce.
Asked if he is relieved City definitely cannot do it this time, Arteta, whose side are a point behind Guardiola’s men, declared: “It’s a great record to hold. It shows the achievement and difficulty of that task because no-one else has been able to do it.
“I don’t know if it can be done again. 100 points…it was never done before. And to score a record amount of goals and have the most clean sheets – all these things are great things to do. Things are there to be broken. Probably one day somebody will do it.”
Having worked for three-and-a-half years at the Etihad as Guardiola’s assistant, Arteta knows better than anybody the qualities within, arguably, the finest team in Premier League history. Hence, he is equally aware his North Londoners cannot be classed in the same glittering bracket yet – despite finishing runners-up in last year’s title scrap.
Arteta went on: “They have set standards nobody else has seen in this league, ever. That’s the reality. No team has ever done what they have in terms of consistency. That’s unquestionable. To be the best, we need to be better than them. You know where the temperature is – and how much you have to raise it.
“But we have not won any Premier Leagues. From zero to three in a row – what City have done – we are very far away. It’s not only winning but the way you play and win. They do it every single game.”
Apart from at Molineux that is, where suspended Guardiola was forced to watch the setback from the stands. That is something World Cup rugby coaches choose to do every game, conducting operations and tactics from high up in the stadium.
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