SUMMARY
- Mikel Arteta's side Arsenal has suffered consecutive defeats in the Premier League and Europe recently.
- Arsenal returned to the Champions League quarterfinals after 14 years, but suffered another heartbreak.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta appeared visibly frustrated after being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals by Bayern Munich. It has been a tough few weeks for Arteta’s side as they suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League and Europe. Despite making a return to the Champions League quarterfinals after a gap of 14 years, Arsenal once again endured heartbreak.
After the first leg of the UCL quarterfinals in London, Arsenal and Bayern Munich headed on to the return leg in Germany with both sides level at 2-2. However, it was Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich who made the difference at the Allianz Arena as his 63rd-minute goal was enough to secure a UCL semifinal spot for the Bundesliga giants.
🚨 FC Bayern beat Arsenal 1-0 and win the tie for Champions League semi finals! pic.twitter.com/E7tLcK1cmd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 17, 2024
Arsenal will be lamenting their missed chances yesterday, with Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard missing two great opportunities. The Gunners will also feel that they could have won the tie had the referee in the first leg given them a penalty after Bukayo Saka was fouled in the dying seconds of the match. Nevertheless, coach Mikel Arteta admitted that he feels “really gutted” after the UCL exit.
Mikel Arteta pins Arsenal defeat on ‘big mistake’ against Bayern Munich
Arteta shared his woes, saying: “At the moment it’s a very gutted dressing room,” and “Very disappointed. I cannot find the right words to lift them and I wish I had [them].”
He added: “We have to go… pic.twitter.com/JyeEy5sn4t
— D’Hood Bros (@AfcHood) April 18, 2024
He said, “I cannot find the right words to lift them, I wish I had.” He further admitted that while it took Arsenal 14 years to reach the UCL quarterfinals again, his team should learn from the mistakes they made. Lastly, Arteta pointed out that winning the UCL is as difficult as it gets in soccer and the fans should be patient with their team.
Mikel Arteta urges his team to shift focus on Premier League title
While Arsenal may have been knocked out of Europe’s most elite competition, it’s wrong to say that the season is over for them. With Arsenal now out of the running for the Champions League title, Mikel Arteta has urged his side to shift their complete focus to the Premier League. The London-based club is currently placed second in the league and are two points behind Manchester City.
With six games remaining this season, Arsenal continues to be in contention for domestic success. The race for the league title is a closely-contested one, with the top three teams- Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool- separated by just two points. Speaking after the Bayern Munich defeat, Arteta said, “We’re still playing for the Premier League and I really want it.”
🔴⚪️ Arteta: “What we still have to play for is beautiful. We’re still playing for a Premier League and I would really want it!”.
“It’s time to be next to this players. It’s easy to be behind them, praise the players and talk nice things when we win 10 in a row and one draw”. pic.twitter.com/SWfHPA7D9B
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 18, 2024
The 42-year-old coach added that his players should try to channel their UCL heartbreak and use it to fight for the Premier League title. While it’s unlikely that Manchester City will drop any further points in the league, if they do, Arsenal and Liverpool will be right back in the race for the league title.
Will Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal go trophyless this season?
It has been Mikel Arteta’s fifth year in charge as Arsenal’s head coach and statistically, he doesn’t have much to show for it. Arteta joined his former team as a coach back in 2019 after gaining experience by working as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. However, from 2019 to 2024, Arteta has managed to win just one FA Cup and one FA Community Shield.
While the Arsenal fans and the club executives have been extremely patient, questions have started to emerge about whether Arteta is the right manager for the club. With Arsenal already out of the Champions League and the Premier League title seemingly appearing out of their reach, Arteta’s men might have to go trophyless this season yet again.
Arsenal’s recent league defeat against Aston Villa dealt a huge blow to their title hopes. With Liverpool dropping points after losing at home against Crystal Palace, Arteta’s men had a huge chance to place one hand on the league trophy. However, with difficult games coming up in the league against Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs, and Manchester United, it’s unlikely that Arteta can end Arsenal’s 20-year wait for the league title this season.
