Mikel Arteta reveals how Arsenal can use Champions League final defeat to fuel success

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Mikel Arteta wants the “poison” of a Champions League final defeat to push Arsenal to new heights.

The Gunners ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title last season, surviving all the nerves and expectation that came with that to get over the line.

A season that was historic could well have gone down as the greatest the club have ever had, had the Champions League final played out differently.

Arsenal took the lead against Paris Saint-Germain but went on to lose in a penalty shootout in Budapest, where Gabriel missed the decisive spot-kick.

Arsene Wenger described defeats in big matches as a “scar in the heart” and Arteta has similarly felt that pain in the aftermath of missing out on European glory.

Gutted: GabrielGetty“I still have the scar, like Arsene says,” Arteta told The Athletic.

“I still have that poison in my veins. It has to stay there because that’s when you learn and that probably is going to be a massive driver for me and everybody.”

Arteta led Arsenal to three second-place finishes in a row before taking that final step in the Premier League last season.

At times early in the season, it looked as though the Gunners would pull away from their title rivals. However, by April that lead at the top had been wiped out.

Victory over West Ham proved to be a decisive moment. The Hammers had seemingly equalised deep into stoppage-time, only for VAR to come to Arsenal’s rescue.

That ensured the title race stayed in Arsenal’s hands after Manchester City had dropped points to Everton.

It was also a match that convinced Arteta it was meant to be for his side.

“This is football elevated to its best version,” Arteta said.

Beaten: Mikel ArtetaAFP/Getty”When a journey, a moment that can change so many people’s lives, goes one way or the other. You just pray because you know if it goes the wrong side, probably it’s gone again.

“That day when I went home, I said, ‘We’re going to be champions. It is our year. This has happened for a reason, and we’re going to get it done’.”