Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was fuming at his players’ first-half performance against Liverpool at Anfield with goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz putting Arne Slot’s side in a commanding position in the match.
But while Arsenal fought back and earned a point in its race to confirm a Champions League spot, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring the first and then Mikel Merino getting a second, Arteta was not happy with what came before that. “I’m very upset,” Arteta told BBC Radio 5Live.
“We can draw and talk about reaction but I’m not into reaction, I am in action mode. What we did in the first 25 minutes was nowhere near the level.
“After PSG, I accept we were the better team and deserved much more. It was unbelievable that we were not through to the final. But today, in the first 25 minutes, we could have conceded three or four.
“After that, yes, but then we went down to 10 men and still had three or four missing [with injury]. That is what we have to demand from ourselves.”
Arteta refused to disclose what he said to his teammates in the dressing room at half-time and insisted that “you have to be active not reactive”. But he also said that he still feels his team will finish second — and ensuring it doesn’t drop the table will be important.
(Image: Arsenal FC)
“I have full trust in all my players and we have full clarity in what we want to do,” Arteta continued. “It will be a tough game [next week against Newcastle] and we want to secure the Champions League and the second spot as well. It is a big opportunity.
“If you cannot be the best, then you have to be the best of the rest. That is very important. Again today we play with 10 men, half of our team injured, and some of them playing when they should not.
“Still, we performed in a way we have done for seven or eight months. That is what we have to demand from ourselves.”
Arteta’s side should be safely able to finish inside the top four. Next weekend it plays Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium before traveling to already relegated Southampton.
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“I’m very disappointed with the standards we set,” Arteta told Match of the Day. “It is nowhere near the standards we need. It is a late reaction.
“That’s the difference between the two teams and on top of that, we miss half of our attackers. We play with 10 men but I don’t want to get into those excuses.
“This is about pride as well. I said after the game against PSG, we were the better team throughout the tie. We created more chances, better chances and we are out. Today the first minutes, it was nowhere near.”
Liverpool.com says: Arsenal did not play well to begin with but it was a strange game. Anfield was in party mode and Liverpool was playing well. The Gunners were missing Declan Rice, too, so it is hard to read too much into anything.
