Mikel Arteta convinced he is the right man to lead Arsenal despite Europa League exit
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes he is still the right man to lead the Gunners despite crashing out of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.
The north London giants were held to a goalless draw by Villarreal in the second leg of their semi-final fixture in the competition. However, their Spanish opponents secured a finals berth courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate victory.
When asked whether he is still the right man to lead Arsenal, Arteta told reporters:
"I wouldn't be sitting here if I couldn't. You will see it. It's not about talking, it's about showing it on the pitch. I think everybody's job is under scrutiny."
Mikel Arteta under the cosh at Arsenal
Arsenal came into Thursday's game against Villarreal with a 2-1 deficit from the first leg. However, having scored an away goal in Spain, all the Gunners needed to do in order to reach the final was win by a 1-0 scoreline. However, they could only manage a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's exit from the Europa League means they are set to miss out on European football for the first time in 25 years. The Gunners currently occupy ninth place in the Premier League table and realistically have no chance of finishing in any of the European places.
Following Arsenal's loss to Villarreal, Mikel Arteta congratulated the La Liga club for making it to the Europa League final. He said:
"We are devastated, but we have to congratulate Villarreal, they're in the final. We tried everything right up until the last minute, I think over two legs and what happened today, in the second half, I think we deserved to win the game."
Despite winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield in 2020, Arteta has come under immense scrutiny from Arsenal fans after a run of poor results in all competitions.
There has been a lot of talk surrounding the Spaniard's future in the last few months. Just last week, Football Italia reported that Arsenal are looking to sign former Juventus and Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri this summer.
However, whether Arsenal will sack Arteta and appoint a new manager remains to be seen.