‘We completely crashed’ – Arteta bemoans misjudgement that cost Arsenal
Mikel Arteta blamed a lack of patience for the way Arsenal “completely crashed” in their 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Despite being just 1-0 down at half-time, Arsenal ended up on the receiving end of a hefty scoreline at Anfield. Suffering their first defeat since August, the Gunners were reminded that they are a work in progress still.
Arsenal are fifth in the table as a result, five points behind the side who beat them on Saturday. There was a large gap on the pitch, though.
Arteta thinks his side were competitive enough before they crumbled after the break due to not being patient enough.
He told Sky Sports: “I think the first half was very competitive. We both had moments and we competed well.
“At 1-0 down we go to half-time, it is the moment we have to be patient but we were completely the opposite. We completely crashed.
“That’s why we lose the game – the rest is a consequence of the frustration of having to chase the game.
“We know they will punish you. They can press, they are one of the best at it. Mistakes are a part of football.
“They have been the best team in Europe because they can dominate in every aspect. They were better than us today.”
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Arteta moves on from Klopp clash
One of the main incidents of the first half was a heated clash on the touchline between Arteta and Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp. Both managers were shown yellow cards afterwards.
Klopp played down the incident after and Arteta also has.
The Spaniard said: “He was defending his team, I was defending my team, that’s it. It doesn’t matter.
“Yes I did [speak to Klopp after the match] and I congratulated him. These moments are left on the pitch.”
Arteta is still learning lessons in management as he oversees his club’s regrowth. He knows there are things to take away from their performance at Anfield.
He said: “It was a huge test. We showed for 45 minutes we could compete with them. We crashed for 15-20 minutes, we threw the game away. And that is the learning from today.
“We take the things we have to learn from today and move on. We have to carry on and it is about how we react now as a team.”
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