‘I don’t even want to talk about that’ – Mikel Arteta shuts down question after Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle | Football
Mikel Arteta knocked back the suggestion that Arsenal’s players could be struggling with fatigue after the side’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, saying he ‘didn’t even want to talk about that’ as a potential excuse.
Alexander Isak got Newcastle off to a perfect start in the 37th minute of tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, hammering the ball into the roof of the net after Martin Dubravka’s looping free-kick wreaked havoc inside the Arsenal box.
Just six minutes into the second half, the visitors doubled their advantage, with Anthony Gordon slotting home on the rebound after Isak’s initial effort was parried away by David Raya.
The Magpies held firm to take a two-goal lead to St James’ Park in a month’s time, giving the Gunners a mountain to climb in reaching this year’s final against either Liverpool or Tottenham.
The result represented Newcastle’s seventh straight win in all competitions – and Eddie Howe’s first ever victory as a manager at the Emirates – but Arteta felt the outcome did not ‘reflect the story of the game’.
‘If you look at what both teams produced and the domination of the game, obviously it is not the result that reflects the story of the game,’ the Arsenal head coach said at his post-match press conference.
‘But the reality is that they were super efficient with the chances that they had and we weren’t.
‘At this level and in these kind of scenarios you need that to impose yourself and win the game.’
The Spaniard added: ‘It’s just half-time.
‘They way I see the team playing and the way we deal with a lot of situations and playing against a very good team, I must say, I have full belief that we can go out there and do it.’
The hosts were not at the races
Asked whether his players’ energy levels were down due to the sheer number of games over the winter period, Arteta replied: ‘If we lose the game or draw the game, it’s going to be down to that.
‘If we win it and we scored three that we should have scored, three easy goals, the story would have been different, “They’re incredible, they’re tireless, how they try in every single action…”.
‘But I don’t even want to talk about that. We have so many games coming up, big ones, and the team really wants it.’
Arteta believes both of Newcastle’s goals were ‘preventable’ and Arsenal were capable of doing far better from defensive point of view.
‘The two goals that we gave away after one or two deflections with the first one, it’s preventable but they generate chaos and are good at that,’ he continued.
‘The second one as well, in particular the first, second reception in the box and then the ball can only get there to score the goal, but it gets there so we can do better.’
According to Arteta, Arsenal – who host Manchester United in the FA Cup this weekend – are in a ‘better position’ now than they were at this stage last season.
‘We were knocked out of the Carabao Cup so we are in a better position, considering everything that happened,’ he went on.
‘I don’t want to really use that [injuries] as an excuse because the team still performs and competes with the best teams, one of the most in-form teams right now, and we produce much better things so no time to talk about that.
‘Hopefully we will have more players back [for the second leg] and have more options to do that and the freshness that we’re going to need in that period when we play so many important games. So I hope so!’
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