Mikel Arteta issued a determined response to Arsenal’s critics following their tough defeat against Inter last night, which extended their poor run.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s controversial penalty just before half-time proved crucial at San Siro, handing Arsenal a second consecutive 1-0 away loss.
With a challenging fixture against Sporting Lisbon, who recently defeated Manchester City, looming in Portugal, Arsenal’s struggles on the road and difficulty finding the net are growing concerns. ..Continue Reading
Although Arteta’s side controlled possession and territory in the second half, they created few clear chances, repeatedly crossing into Inter’s box without success.
Arsenal now must regroup ahead of a challenging match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, where they will face an in-form Chelsea team likely eager to exploit their vulnerability.
Nevertheless, Arteta emphasized that last night’s display should offer encouragement to a squad clearly struggling with confidence based on recent performances.
‘If we play the way we play, we‘ll have a big chance to win against Chelsea,’ he said.’That‘s the way we have to go. I told them that I’m proud of them.
‘I haven‘t seen them play in Europe in the manner that we have today. We are disappointed because we didn’t get what we wanted out of the game, that’s for sure.
‘The worst thing of the night, for sure, is the result, because the performance, the attitude, the dominance that we showed against one of the best teams in Europe in this stadium.
‘I haven’t seen it in all the other games that I’ve watched.
‘But the reality is the result and we participated in that because we had many situations that we can resolve much better in front of goal and score at least two goals and then extremely frustrated as well because there are two decisions that at the end marks the result and the course of the game.
‘The concern tonight is the result and obviously in both boxes at the end we didn’t do what we have to do. When we didn’t, then someone else didn’t and that’s it.
‘For sure, this is the way that I want to see my team. All the big games that we have in Europe by far this was the best one that we played in the last few years.’
