London, May 9 (IANS) Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta admitted his side has taken a step back in the Premier League despite having improved on their performances in the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners were eliminated from the semifinals of the UCL by Paris Saint-Germain and are on course for a second-place finish for the third straight season.
Arsenal had ended the 2023/24 PL season with 89 points. They are currently sitting at 67 points, three ahead of Manchester City, with just three games left in the campaign and have won only one of their last five outings.
“For sure, in the Champions League, we have because we have done better than last season, but not what we want because we want to win it. In the Premier League, we have taken a step backwards, the points that we have created it is clear that we haven’t done as good as last season – that is obvious,” said Arteta in the press conference.
Arteta also confirmed that, as per the spirit of the game, Arsenal will acknowledge that Liverpool have been the better side this season and confirmed his team will be giving the 2024/25 champions a guard of honour when they walk out for their clash at Anfield on Sunday.
“They deserve it. They have been the better team, and they have been the most consistent. What the coaching team have done has been fascinating, it has been really good, and they fully deserve it. That is the sport, when somebody is better than you have to applaud and accept and try to reach that level,” he added.
In the end Arteta believes his side needs to be luckier and claimed they could have already won two league titles given their output in the last two seasons and hopes they continue to do so in the coming seasons.
“We are there. With the amount of points we have generated in the last two seasons, we should have, we could have two Premier Leagues. We know how close we are; we are there. We are providing the numbers to win titles. We have to be a little luckier or still do better. Again, what we did in the Champions League – with those numbers, you have a big probability of winning it,” claimed Arteta.
–IANS
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