Mikel Arteta admits he is bitterly disappointed with Arsenal’s exit from the Europa League after the Gunners squandered a first leg 1-0 advantage to go out on away goals after extra-time to Greek side Olympiacos.
The Gunners looked to have avoided an embarrassing slip up when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cancelled out Pape Abou Cisse’s header with seven minutes left of extra time. However, as the game edged to its conclusion Youssef El Arabi took advantage of abject defending to snatch a late winner on the night.
To compound the misery, there was still time at the end of 120 minutes for Aubameyang to squander a gift-wrapped chance that would have kept our European ambitions alive.
Unsurprisingly, Arteta was pretty downbeat after the game. “I’ve seen all the boys and I know how much they wanted this competition,” he told his post-game press conference.
“I’ve seen today the way they fight and the way we try to play and it’s a difficult one to digest as a team and as a club.
“This is football and sometimes it is very cruel when the emotions are right [up high], then in another moment they’re somewhere else. You have to able to handle that if you want to be in this industry so now it’s up to us and up to me to bring this place back in and move forward.
Despite a near full-strength side, Arsenal played from the off like a side that wished it wasn’t defending a first leg lead.
Rather than go for the jugular, we played well within ourselves and then grew nervous when the Greeks drew confidence from the fact they were still in the tie after the break.
Eventually, as legs grew tired, we manufactured more chances but our vulnerability on the break shone through.
“I think as the game went on, we were getting better and better and they were playing deeper and deeper,” reflected Arteta.
“We generated more than enough chances to win the game and we shouldn’t be talking about what happened now.
“I think we have enough goal threat in this team, but we have to put the chances to bed and in Europe it’s in both boxes. In the opponent’s box, we missed chances that should have been goals and in our box there were a few things that they had and they put them in. On the set-pieces we were vulnerable again so these are things to improve.
“Details are so important in ties. We gave details away that you cannot afford. Even if not in the opposition box, you have to be ruthless, and we weren’t tonight.”
Maybe he needed this defeat to show him these players who have now let down 4 managers just cannot be trusted. HUGE overhaul needed this summer
It is surely fair to put in question the managing of MA too… He put “these players” on the pitch and waited surely too long to kick out Laca (oh, yes, i forgot, Laca is untouchable for the fans).
Things that cost us the game. 1.Xhaka side ways passes, back passes playing it safe not taking risk not passing the ball when Auba makes a run not passing the ball when Laca made runs. Playing it too safe. Guendouzi would never do that. He’s young he’s naive at times in his positioning but he’ll never ever play it safe. That’s why I rate guendouzi over xhaka. 2. Pepe fkin twisting and turning overcomplicated plays for no fkin reason. Pepe job is to provide crosses for the strikers he didn’t put in a decent ball for Laca not once he… Read more »
I’m Sorry, I know I’m brazilian and I tend to like the guy, but Martinelli can’t be on the bench 105 minutes when Arsenal needs a goal. Just can’t. That showed some poor management I wasn’t expecting from Arteta.
I don’t think you’re alone to think that. Why he didn’t come on at 60 minutes is beyond me.
Exactly
More importantly, Arteta wanted to avoid penalties. otherwise Laca would stay and we’d have 4 good pen takers on the pitch. He didn’t want to go that far, so not putting Martinelli on as one of the first subs makes even less sense in that context.
Of course in the last games we saw an “improvement”, but more and more I think it was due our poor state with the previous manager.
Obviously he inherited an unbalanced squad (poor CBs, no healthy fullbacks and a ghost as a #10), still he have to do better with the resources that he had.
Basically, we still waiting Auba to bail the team out over and over again (unfortunately, today was not one of those days).
Bruh I said this..i think he should’ve started ahead of Pepe Martinelli is very direct no leg overs no bullsht dribble beat his man run down the flank put in a decent cross end of story. But Pepe legs over dribble more leg over twist turn twist again turn acts like he’s about to cross or shoot oh wait no more FKIN twisting and turning and wait another twist and turn lie ffs pass the FKIN ball he sucks! I can’t believe Martinelli didn’t start I can’t believe he didn’t come on after the first half I can’t believe Arteta… Read more »
paid the price for poor substitution and poor Game management
How many chances did we actually create? I thought it took till 78th minute to have a shot on target. Did I miss something?
What game were you watching?
Simple truth is we lost to your own naivety and indecisiveness.. Every other thing is just bs..
I thought Pepe’s judgement and Lacazette’s form was so poor tonight that one at least should have bene subbed a lot earier. Mustafi was our best player tonight in my view, he mae several crucial tackles.
Not for me. The guy’s character is in serious question. Every time he feels tired or sore he wants to sub.
squad needs a major overhaul in the summer.
Hi… I think you’ll find he’s pulled a hamstring. Having gone season after season myself years ago being dogged by that, I can tell you it’s not something you can run off, it’s not character, tiredness or soreness – it’s simply impossible to run.
Absolutely. He’s easily fooled a lot of people of late though. Bizarre.
One or both should be benched the next couple of games.
Pepe sucks I thought he was being coached to be more direct nobody gives a sht about take on statistics like wtf does he think this is street football? He needs to pass the FKIN ball and do his job as a winger which is to provide assists and put in crosses he should be concerned about his crossing stats and assist stats than his FKIN take on stats he looks like he’s only playing for dribbling stats like is this guy a fkin moron. We didn’t pay 72m for you to twist and turn and twist and tin and… Read more »
We shat the bed. Again . In embarrassing and entertaining fashion for everybody else. Again. How many times. Forget the top four hammerings just think of the numerous occasions we have conceded pre school level goals. Think of the Carling cup final against Brum. The semi where koscielny kicked it off his own face. Just look at some of the players we have had in that back four since Kolo and sol left.
Perhaps we can take this opportunity to focus on getting to top 5 in the Premier League. Man, Europa was the only hope I had for Arsenal this season. Guess, we are down with nothing again.
As much as we conceded goals, we did not do anywhere near enough to win this. We were hesitatnt, slow building up and static. Front men did not do anywhere near enough in terms of movement off ball. Often times we waited for the ball to be played and our crossing from both flanks was poor failing time and again to either clear the first person or over cooked. Transitions from gaining possession into attack also too tedious with way too many touches for the ball to get to the eventual recipient. Pepe particularly guilty of over elaborate ineffective moves… Read more »
You think again. Same players were available to the manager before ranieri when Leicester were champions in ’16. Think it was Puel. Are you trying to say thay the manager can’t make a difference in extracting the performance out of the same players? You can’t be that superficial.
Pains to say but Santori is spot on this time
What missed chances apart from that last second one? We created nothing except dozens of low-percentage, tame crosses. Auba pulled one out of his hat to score.
So much passing around the box and no movement, no penetration. Reminded me of 2009’s Cesc to Nasri to Cesc to Nasri to Cesc to Denilson to Cesc…
Guardiola famously lambasted that basketball-style form attacking, just for his pupil to come and do exactly that.
This is the first time we came up against a well parked bus though. I give Arteta some slack. He also is still learning and improving.
Truth is we are where we are. Struggling in league around 9th and not even good enough to dispatch Olympiakos at home in Europe’s secondary competition.
Once upon a time, some people made some noise about Wenger not being good enough with his 4th place trophy (or even when he finished in 5th)
Go figure…
Well, the new manager bounce is well and truly gone. Where was all the verve and energy of the first few games under Arteta? He selected a first team, but after that what was the plan? Quite honestly it was as devoid of a plan as late era Wenger or all of the Emery period. Really, really poor against what can only be described as workmanlike opposition.
This is a disastrous day for the club. It’s really depressing, I thought
we had had started to turn the corner
Just another gut punch in the life of an Arsenal fan these days, I thought you guys would be used to this by now?
Still we did well until the last kick of the game, considering the lucky nature of their first goal too. Our play is too one dimensional relying on crosses to tap ins or headers, they had good tall organised defense and our usual tricks weren’t working, Saka looked flat and exhausted/injured? I wish we were talking about that Auba bicycle kick a lot more though.. wooof!
Sorry but we did not “did well until the last kick of the game”…
At least it wasn’t Mustafi who cost us the game this time. He was actually pretty good. One of the better ones. Never thought I’d be able to say that about him.
He has that one or two games in ten in him, that is true. Still needed to be shipped out along with Xhaka in Jan.
Serves us right, useless, lazy cunts. And, Leno, fuck you.
I fear for Arteta, we should back him, but like with Emery, I think he’ll struggle to last 16 months. There’s just something so fundamentally wrong with our players, the balance of the squad, and their mentality. i warned you all when you turned on Emery, that changing the manager, wouldn’t change anything. Emery rightly dumped Ozil, you all clambered for him to be reinstated. The Arteta bounce is a myth, a myth that I was desperate to believe as well, but it’s a myth. You say I’m negative, but every time I try and be positive, we’re just hit… Read more »
Some here attack the Özil “fanboys” when someone DARES putting his input in light, but what about the constant blind attacks from some here against him? Who provoked Auba’s goal yesterday? Who provoked Auba’s second chance to put it in bed yesterday?
I’m basing my judgment on what I’ve seen over the past 4 years, which is a player in decline.
Not the last 90 minutes, where while Ozil wasn’t good, he certainly wasn’t anywhere near our biggest flop last night.
But in home games where we dominate the ball, he’s excellent in possession, that s nothing new.
He was very good against Newcastle, but the lack of dynamism through the centre of the pitch is a big problem for us.
Honestly just shut up man you spout so much nonsense
hmm… maybe istead of plotting against emery, the club bigshots should have spent time earlier this season carrying a big stick around troublemakers in the dressing room and cutting the bs in the boardroom while consolidating leadership…. wait, what?! nah, too much work.. let’s just change the manager and order a couple of pr campaigns for 11-yearolds…
Arteta is doing the right thing, but with the wrong players. I hope the Board see that too and support a significant clear out in the summer.
Completely agree. It’s a very average squad
We paid the price for bad attitude, whole team turned up thinking it would be easy.
looking forward to a good clear out of this team, ironically the one player I really want to keep will be off because our incompetent board don’t know how to sort contracts out.
This is it for me. I don’t enjoy our matches, having mostly negative emotions afterwards. It’s becoming toxic. I think I need a break. It’s like raging while playing FIFA, I stopped playing the game for similar reasons. Wake me up when the next season begins, this one is a wrap.
No. We paid the price for you picking a tired and complacent team, when we had others (Martinelli, Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Torreira, Sokratis) fresh and in need of game time – and therefore far more likely to put in a performance against limited but willing opposition
I totally agree. I’d put there Holding as well, who is not injured afaik and cannot get close to the first team while effing mustafi is resurrected. Torreira is underused while xhaka is run to the ground, who I don’t rate. Also AMN, while clearly having attitude issues, should replace bellerin from time to time, I don’t think he would mind playing there and proving himself to the new coach.
This squad is improving but needs serious changes. Lacazette’s continued run of absolutely awful play is really concerning. Arteta is, I think, to blame for selection and substitutions but he can only do so much with the players we’ve got, who reminded us that many of them aren’t good enough to wear the Arsenal shirt. We need investment in the squad in a big way and we need the dead wood out of the team.
Some players downed tools under Emery, but when they picked them up under Arteta we found out that they were not good enough
Last night was truly heartbreaking. One of those games were you just stare at the screen in disbelief.
I really hope that we can bounce back from this one, because it is going to hurt the players
Supporting this club should come with a Government health warning.
Have to say I disagree with the new givnor on this one. Yes, a bad miss by Auba. And Laca had another stinker. But the reason we went out last night was because of poor defenders – this club won’t win an egg cup until we get some decent centre halves. Mustafi and Luiz? Heh.