Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta voiced his disappointment after his side was held to a goalless draw by Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The result marked the Gunners’ second consecutive match without a win, as they struggled to capitalise on their dominance.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Arteta emphasised his team’s control of the game but acknowledged their failure in the decisive moments.
“I feel very disappointed not to win the game because, obviously, if there’s a team that deserved to win, it’s Arsenal,” Arteta said. “We gave nothing away—no shots conceded, dominated the play, didn’t allow them to run, and didn’t concede set pieces. High pressing was excellent.
“We generated chances, but the last 20 metres were missing to score goals, which is crucial with all the dominance we had. You have to try to create the highest probability of winning, and when you draw, you want more. Even if we’d won, we’d still want more, but I can’t ask much more from the boys apart from putting the ball in the net.”
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Arteta also reflected on the challenges of breaking down Everton’s resilient defence, crediting Jordan Pickford for his crucial saves and the opposition’s commitment to blocking shots.
“I’m very disappointed because, when you perform like we did today, you have to win the game,” Arteta said. “But this is football; it’s the hardest thing—those last 20-25 metres. Credit to Everton for how they defended, the saves from Pickford, and their desire to block shots.
Arsenal 0-0 Everton
“Individually, can we do things better, deliver more quality, and create that magic moment? Yes. But that’s not always easy to achieve.”
When asked if such decisive moments can be coached, Arteta explained the difficulty of instilling that spark and precision in key areas.
“That’s difficult,” he admitted. “You need the spark and precision. We had chances, and if we’d scored two or three goals, nobody would be talking about this. The reality is 0-0, and all the incredible things the team did won’t be discussed.
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“It’s certainly not about energy. When I see my team tracking back 70 metres every three days, I can’t ask for much more. They want it.”
Mikel Arteta stressed the importance of handling frustration to maintain focus and control during games.
“We have to manage frustration,” he said. “If there’s no room to speed up the game, we need to avoid forcing things that might cause us to lose control. We must stay far away from that.”
The Gunners will aim to return to winning ways when they face Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. They will then travel to Selhurst Park to take on Palace again in the Premier League, hoping to reignite their title challenge.
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