Arteta promises Arsenal will recover from troubled period

LONDON, UK (AFP) – Mikel Arteta surveyed the aftermath of Arsenal’s controversial Champions League defeat to Inter Milan and insisted his embattled side will emerge from the wreckage to salvage their disastrous season.

The Gunners suffered a 1-0 defeat at the San Siro on Wednesday, adding to the growing sense of disarray around a team expected to pose a serious challenge to European and domestic trophies.

Arsenal dominated Inter for long periods of time but were left to rue a controversial penalty in first-half stoppage time when Mikel Merino was adjudged to have handled the ball.

Hakan Calhanoglu scored from the penalty spot as Arsenal failed to equalise, suffering a second successive 1-0 defeat following Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Newcastle.

The Gunners have won just two of their last six games in all competitions, with those wins hardly impressing Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe and second division Preston in the League Cup.

Arteta’s side languish in fifth place in the Premier League, already seven points behind leaders Liverpool ahead of Sunday’s crucial London derby with Chelsea.

With captain Martin Odegaard, who finally returned from injury as a substitute against Inter, missing for several weeks, Arsenal looked a shadow of the vibrant team that carried last season’s title race to the final day of the season.

Odegaard’s creativity and dogged pressing were sorely missed, while Arteta also had to deal with injuries to Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, as well as a string of red cards that cost him the services of Declan Rice, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard.

As if their suffering on the pitch wasn’t enough, Arteta saw his trusted sporting director Edu make a shock exit from Emirates Stadium.

Edu, who had agreed in principle to a similar role at Nottingham Forest, resigned earlier this week after overseeing a major overhaul of Arsenal’s squad since joining in 2019.

The 46-year-old had a strong bond with Arteta, with whom he turned Arsenal into title contenders.

“We’ve been on this journey together since day one. He was instrumental in getting me to where I am and I loved working with him. I enjoyed the journey with him by my side,” Arteta said of Edu before kick-off at the San Siro.

Edu scored in Arsenal’s famous 5-1 win over Inter in the Champions League group stage 21 years ago.

But history didn’t repeat itself on Wednesday as Arsenal took 20 shots, their most without a goal in a Champions League match since 2006 against CSKA Moscow.

Arteta vigorously defended his players, saying they were rejected due to refereeing errors and not his own mistakes against Inter.

“The worst thing was the result because we showed our performance and attitude against one of the best teams in Europe in their stadium,” he said.

“This is extremely unpleasant because two decisions were made against us. If they have a penalty, then we should have a penalty when Mikel Merino gets hit on the head.

“Out of all the big games we’ve played in Europe, this was the best I’ve seen from my team in the last two years.”

Arsenal cannot afford another setback against Chelsea this weekend if they are to remain in contention for a first Premier League title since 2004 after successive runners-up finishes.

Arteta stuck to his optimistic assessment of Arsenal’s unexpected plight, saying: “If we play like we did tonight, the team has a great chance of beating Chelsea.”

“This is exactly the path we have to go. I told them I was proud of them. We’re disappointed because we didn’t get what we wanted from the game, that’s for sure.”

Despite Arteta’s optimism, there are worrying signs that Arsenal’s hopes of finally dethroning Manchester City may be destined to end in disappointment.