Arteta Fumes at Arsenal's Draw Due to Costly Errors

Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that if his team are to revive their flagging title campaign, he will need to dispel any doubts that may exist among his players. A shock 3-3 draw with Southampton means Arsenal are now five points ahead of Manchester City, but with two games in hand, City could well overtake them. Beyond this, Arsenal has lost their grip due to a series of sloppy goals they’ve conceded. Arteta explained that his priority lies in maintaining high spirits among his players, especially during moments when doubts creep in. With Wednesday’s match against City being touted as a final, the Arsenal manager is looking to turn around this situation.

During Arsenal’s game against Southampton, fans displayed a banner to show support for Evan Gershkovich, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal who has been incarcerated in Russia on charges of espionage, which he denies. Gershkovich is a fervent Arsenal supporter.

Arteta lauded his players’ response to coming two goals behind for the second time, an effort which nearly resulted in a late win. However, he lamented their mistakes in defence. He stressed that the players showed no lack of confidence during the game, as none of them shied away and all were willing to take risks.

In reference to his players, Arteta said “I cannot love them any more”. He also looked forward to the upcoming game against City, saying that the game has everything at stake and that Arsenal will prepare for it well.

The manager of Southampton, Rubén Sellés, expressed his pride in his team’s hard-working ethic and character, as well as the rousing effort they put in during their match with Arsenal. He has called for his team to build upon this in the future.