LONDON, OCT 22 – Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to use their ‘pain’ of losing for the first time in six months as motivation in tomorrow’s Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Gunners suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth on Saturday after defender William Saliba was sent off in the first half.
It meant they lost their place at the top of the Premier League and finished the weekend four points behind leaders Liverpool.
But Arteta, during yesterday’s pre-match press conference, said there was no need to panic after the first defeat since April.
“You experience defeat, that’s part of the game, it happens in very specific circumstances as well,” he said.
“Let’s move on, use the remaining ‘pain of defeat’ and use it for tomorrow night.”
The Spanish coach added: “It puts a bit of perspective into the situation. Obviously we want to win in any context. The reality is that we have made that context very difficult for ourselves.
“It has been difficult with the number of players we have and the schedule and the games we have to face but that is the reality.
Arteta also questioned the red card issue, after Saliba became the Gunners’ third player to be sent off in eight Premier League games this season, following Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard.
“Playing with 10 men, obviously that’s an issue. Actually when you analyze three very different actions and their results, the reasons are very different. In any case, we cannot continue to play with 10 players, especially at this level,” he said.
Arteta said Bukayo Saka’s fitness will also be assessed after the England winger missed the Bournemouth match.
Arsenal are looking for a second win in the Champions League group stage against Shakhtar after drawing 0-0 against Atalanta and beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0. – AFP
