Following Arsenal’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich, manager Mikel Arteta has emphasised the importance of supporting his team as they shift focus to the Premier League title race.
The Gunners are currently second on the Premier League table, two points behind Manchester City who also bowed out of the Champions League after losing on penalty shootouts to Real Madrid.
Arteta expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to coach Arsenal and vowed to stand by his players during this challenging period.
“I wish I had the right words to say to the players to make them feel better. What I am going to do – and all the coaching staff too – is to be close to the players.” Arteta said.
“I feel so grateful to be the coach and to work with them every single day.”
Reflecting on the disappointment of their quarter-final defeat where a 1-0 defeat at Allianz Arena ultimately knocked them out on a 3-2 aggregate loss, Arteta acknowledged the team’s relative inexperience at this stage of the competition but remained optimistic about their potential.
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“We haven’t played this competition for seven years and we haven’t been in this stage for 14 years,” he said. “There’s a reason for it.
“We want to do everything fast-forward, super-quick, in one season. I think we have the capacity and the quality to be in the semi-final because the margins are very small.
“Those margins are coming from something else that maybe we don’t have yet. We have to learn it.
“When you look historically, it took other clubs seven, eight or 10 years to do it. Today, that’s not going to make us feel better that’s for sure.”
Arteta stressed Arsenal’s determination to compete for the Premier League title, highlighting the upcoming match against Wolves as a crucial opportunity to bounce back.
“What I need to do is stand right next to them and give them support and our love and we have to pick it up because on Saturday we have a big, big game,” said Arteta.
“We are still playing for the Premier League. The Premier League is there and we really want it. We have to show now that we are capable of turning this around.”
With the Premier League title still within reach, Arteta urged his players to rise to the occasion and demonstrate their capability to contend for the coveted trophy.