Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta apologised for his team’s “unacceptable” performance in Monday’s 3-0 Premier League defeat at Crystal Palace.
Arsenal’s hopes of securing a top-four finish suffered a blow after they slipped to fifth, a spot below Tottenham Hotspur, who have played a game more.
“We weren’t at the races today, especially in the first half,” Arteta told reporters. “We were late to every ball, soft in the duels and didn’t earn the right to play.
“When we did a little bit we were sloppy on the ball and we didn’t have any dominance, any sequences of play where we could take some control of the game and we conceded two poor goals.
“Overall it’s unacceptable, we put our hands up, apologise, regroup.”
Arteta said they had talked about the importance of winning the individual battles.
“We discussed it just before kick-off, the way you win here is when you compete the way you should,” he added. “That means you win duels, have a presence and the composure on the pitch to manage certain situations.
“Overall, it is unacceptable. We put our hands up, me the first one, and apologise. We regroup and tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to prepare for the game against Brighton.
“I apologise to our supporters. We didn’t have the presence today or the composure to dominate the situation so that is what I’m most annoyed with.
“Some days you are not there and you are late all the time. They got on top of it and had a good atmosphere and we could not get out.
“When we had the big chances we didn’t score to give ourselves the best chance to get back in the game. First of all we need to put our hands up and get the criticism we deserve. Then we accept it, look ourselves in the mirror and look to the next game. This was not good enough”, Arteta fumed.
via Reuters
