Merino reveals secret players only meeting that 'won' Arsenal the title

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Mikel Merino has lifted the lid on a players only meeting held in the dressing room last season that he believes was the turning point in Arsenal's eventual Premier League title triumph.

Arsenal ended their long wait for the title last season, with Mikel Arteta's side finally getting over the line ahead of Manchester City. But the run in was far from smooth. Arsenal blew a 2-0 lead to draw with relegation bound Wolves in January, and later lost back to back games to Bournemouth and Manchester City in April.

Writing in the Players Tribune, Merino explained that the day after the Wolves draw, the squad gathered on their own, without Arteta present, to address the mood around the club.

“One slip, and all we heard was 'same old Arsenal'. To be honest, there were doubts inside the team too. Giving away a 2-2 lead should never happen. But the day after the game, the players had a meeting inside the dressing room, without the boss. Everyone spoke up,” Merino wrote.

'That was the day we won the title'

Merino said the conversation had nothing to do with tactics, instead focusing on how the group responded to pressure and criticism as a collective.

“Nobody talked about tactics. This was about how a group of human beings handle adversity together. I spoke about how I saw the team from the outside, and I said that this was something we as players had to handle, because the boss couldn't do everything for us,” he said.

“In my view, that was the day we won the title. Even when we lost to Bournemouth and City, that meeting kept us together. We decided to use all the criticism as fuel, and thanks to social media we saw everything.”

Merino went on to list the various labels attached to Arsenal during their previous near misses, saying the squad used the outside noise as motivation rather than letting it affect them.

“We were bottlers. Runners-up. Second, second, second. Boring. Set piece team. Couldn't score from open play. Couldn't handle the pressure. When they questioned our professionalism, we grew even closer,” he added.

Praise for Arteta's culture

The midfielder also credited Arteta for the environment he has built at the club, saying the manager's man management played a huge role even if the meeting itself happened without him.

“The boss was on fire. Every team talk, he reached into our hearts. He spoke about looking out for one another, like a family. The culture we have is thanks to him. Even when the world expected us to collapse, I felt confident that the title would be ours,” Merino said.

Arsenal went on to win their last five games of the season and were officially crowned champions with a match to spare after Manchester City were held by Bournemouth. Merino's account offers a rare look inside the dressing room at the moment the title race swung decisively in Arsenal's favour.