"We have to reset" - Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal were not at their best following PSV defeat
Manager Mikel Arteta has conceded that his Arsenal team 'need to reset' following their disappointing Europa League defeat against PSV Eindhoven on Thursday (27 October)
The Gunners lost just their second game of the season in the Netherlands as they missed the chance to secure the top spot in their group. Arsenal have already played 16 games this season and Arteta has tried his best to rotate his team for their European encounters.
PSV join Manchester United as the only teams to beat Arsenal this season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy knows 😉 https://t.co/TfrQKS2WiZ
However, Arteta's changes backfired in Eindhoven, with fringe players failing to impress and the Gunners boss admitting that his Arsenal team are in need of a rest.
Speaking after the full-time whistle, the Spanish boss struggled to hide his disappointment, as he told reporters (as per Football 365):
“I’m very disappointed. It’s the end of a long run where we won a lot of games and we have to reset. Congratulations to PSV, they were the better team today. We were nowhere near our level and we know that in Europe it’s very difficult to win."
“We didn’t get any control. We didn’t get the ball in the areas we wanted. We gave so many balls away, which allowed so many transitions, which was what they were looking for whenever they got in the right structure. They were on top of a lot of things that last week was different.”
Arteta added:
“The first half wasn’t easy. I saw a number of the boys running out of energy because we had to chase the ball so much. The second half was much better. We pressurized them, we were much more dangerous and didn’t give much away.”
Arsenal's nine-game unbeaten run comes to an end ❌ https://t.co/jT5aDXF2Bn
Joe Cole insists Arsenal still 'have a way to go' following Europa League defeat
The Gunners failed to win for just the third time this season but their infamous defensive frailties appeared to be creeping back into their game against PSV.
Speaking to BT Sport, former England star Joe Cole didn't want to criticize Arsenal too much due to their excellent start to the season. However, the Englishman does think that the Gunners' latest performance will concern Arteta. The pundit stated (as per The Mail):
"When Mikel shows that to his players and the details and the fundamentals, if they nailed that down they come away with a point or three. There's more questions than answers tonight.".
"I don't want to be too critical to this group of players because they've been very enjoyable but today is a reminder that there's still work to do and a way to go."
🗣️ “It’s my responsibility to get the best out of the players.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he accepts the blame for the defeat against PSV last night in the UEFA Europa League. https://t.co/NTK6336q49