Arteta Urges Team To Channel Pain For Tomorrow’s Match

Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to use the “pain” of their first defeat in six months as motivation in Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Gunners faced an unexpected 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday, following the red card issued to defender William Saliba in the first half.

It meant they lost ground at the top of the Premier League and finished the weekend four points behind leaders Liverpool.

However, Arteta addressed the media during his pre-match press conference on Monday, stating that there was no reason to panic following their first defeat since April.

“You have a defeat; that’s part of the game; it happens in very specific conditions as well,” he said.

“Let’s move on; take that pain we still have in the tummy, and use it for tomorrow night.”

The Spaniard added, “It puts a bit of perspective into the situation. We want to win in any context. The reality is that we have made that context very difficult for ourselves.

“It was very difficult already with the amount of players that we had out and the schedule and the games that we had to play but that’s the reality.

“For that game, we didn’t get away with it. We could have done it, and it could have been a very different narrative, but the reality is we didn’t. Another context is that we have lost one game in six months. Now we have to win again.”

Arteta also addressed the issue of red cards, after Saliba became the third Gunners’ player to be sent off in eight Premier League games this season, following dismissals for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard.

“Playing with 10 men, obviously that is an issue,” he said. “The truth is when you analyze the three very different actions and their outcome of them; the reasons are very different.

“Regardless of that, we cannot continue to play with 10 men, especially at this level.”

He added, “We need to eradicate that, it’s clear. Why, the reason, and how – it doesn’t matter; we have to focus; it has to happen.”

Arteta mentioned that Bukayo Saka’s fitness would be evaluated before Tuesday’s match at the Emirates, as the England winger was absent from the Bournemouth game.

Arsenal are looking for their second Champions League victory of the group stage against Shakhtar after drawing 0-0 against Atalanta and beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0.

Arteta said he had “a lot of sympathy” for his Ukrainian opponents, who are forced to play ‘home’ Champions League games in Germany due to the ongoing war in their own country.

“The things they have to put in place to be able to continue to play football matches at this level and compete in the way they do,” he said. “It’s remarkable.”