Arsenal suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Everton in the Premier League and in the build-up of the match, a large group of fans were seen protesting against the owners outside the stadium.
The Gunners were the better team all throughout the match but it was a combination of a poor VAR decision and a Bern Leno own-goal which helped the Toffees walk out with all three points. And this defeat means the North London side are now are on the verge of falling down to the bottom half of the table if the teams around them can win their respective matches this weekend.
While Mikel Arteta admitted that his side did have a few lapses of concentration on the pitch but they did not deserve to walk out of the match empty-handed.
“[I will tell him] that we all make errors, it’s part of football and you have to be prepared to lift yourself up and focus on the next challenge,” Arteta told Arsenal Media.
“I think we didn’t deserve to lose the match at the end. There are some things that we can do better and we can control and unfortunately, there are others that we can’t and [they] really affect the game. We didn’t have the clarity and the quality to resolve some situations. I think we created some chances, certainly more than them and we had much more control of the game.
“But then as well we scored an own goal and when we needed the decisions, that we earned, those were taken away [by VAR].”
And while talking about the impact of this loss and the protests before the match, the Arsenal boss has admitted that he wants the fans to return inside the stadium as soon as possible so his players can once again bond with the supporters.
Arteta said after the match: “I think it is a relationship that has to come together from both parties, one giving some opportunities and the other showing that they want to be closer to them.
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“I talk about what my experience is and the relationship I have with them (the fans) and how involved they are, and now my biggest challenge is to get them inside the stadium as quick as possible and show that passion, and that togetherness and unity with the team because the team is desperate for them to be close to us.
“I live them, I felt them in the stadium as a player and as a manager for only a month and a half. That’s why I said to you guys that I am desperate to have them back because we really need them. This team really needs them.
“We have a really young team that has to experience the emotion and the security and the trust that comes when you feel your people really behind you and that’s something that you have to experience to understand the difference it makes rather than playing at home with none of them.”
After this loss, Arsenal will have to shift their focus to the Europa League where they face Villarreal in the semi-final and if the Gunners end up losing this two-legged tie then Mikel Arteta should start worrying about his job at the club.
