What Mikel Arteta said to the Arsenal stars after Inter’s defeat to Chelsea | Football

An ailing Arsenal are desperate to halt their current slide in results after their unbeaten start to the Champions League was ended by Inter Milan. The Gunners are about to face off in the London derby. Chelsea just a few days after his death at San Siro.

Mikel ArtetaTeam Russia recorded its second defeat in a row with a score of 1:0 on Wednesday evening, losing away to Newcastle with the same bill for the weekend. And there is a risk of a worsening mood in north London when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

However, Arteta was keen to focus on the positives when addressing his players after Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty condemned them to another defeat. Arsenal The boss spoke to the media following his side’s third defeat in six games, sharing his rousing speech after they left Italy empty-handed despite dominating much of the match.

“If we play the way we play, we have a great chance to win Chelsea– said the Spaniard. “This is exactly the path we have to take.” I told them I was proud of them.

“I haven’t seen them play in Europe the way we do today. We’re disappointed because we didn’t get what we wanted from the game, that’s for sure.”

ArsenalThe run of three consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League this season was broken thanks to Calhanoglu’s confident goal. Turkey’s talisman, who never missed a penalty for the Nerazzurri, buried the decisive moment after Mikel Merino was adjudged guilty of handball in his own area at the end of the break.

Despite their best efforts to break down the home defense, players such as Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli was stopped at every turn. Arsenal recorded 20 shots on goal against Inter’s seven, but it was Simone Inzaghi’s team that recorded the only statistic that mattered.

Arsenal also controlled almost two-thirds of Milan’s possession and earned 13 corners to Inter’s zero, another indication of exactly how much pressure they applied. But it was not enough to stop them slipping to 12th place in the Champions League table.

Arteta said Wednesday’s performance was “by far the best.” Arsenal In recent years we have played against major European teams. The jury may not be able to decide how true this is, given the outcome, but the boss was clearly keen to boost morale among his soldiers.

The prospect of a trip to Stamford Bridge sends mixed signals about current form. Arsenal had to fight with a two-goal scoreline to get a point on their last visit to Chelsea over a year ago, although in fact they haven’t lost at Stamford Bridge since August 2018.

Arteta’s imperious record in this match is perhaps a cause for consolation, as is the fact that Martin Odegaard returned from injury to make a brief cameo for Inter in midweek. And the Norwegian will try to have some influence on getting Arsenal back to victory in West London.