Arteta: Arsenal Lacked Courage in Second Half Following Draw

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided his assessment to Sky Sports following the recent draw. He expressed immense pride in his team, stating, “I’m very proud of the team. The courage, quality and domination in the game we wanted to play, especially in the first-half.” Arteta indicated that his side “should’ve been at a bigger scoreline in first-half,” but noted a shift after the break, adding, “then they came out in second-half and we didn’t have courage.” He firmly believed his team “deserved to win the game. We were the better team.” The manager also highlighted areas for improvement regarding the conceded goals. He explained, “Learnings from both goals, the second one is a transition moment and we have to end up in final third. You cannot give that away.” Arteta praised the team’s overall approach, saying, “We were clear in what we had to do and the execution, determination and aggression with and without the ball was really good.” However, he acknowledged missed chances, stating, “There were a few moments where we should have put the ball in the net.” He concluded by reiterating, “In the first phase, we needed more courage to play. We created big opportunities.”