Mikel Arteta’s chat after Arsenal’s win over Slavia Prague has got everyone a bit worried.
Arsenal kept their unbeaten run in this season’s Champions League alive with a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague in the Czech capital. However, head coach Mikel Arteta wasn’t completely happy after the match.
Noni Madueke scored the first goal for Arsenal in the first half, calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner. Viktor Gyokeres then made it 2-0 before halftime with a tricky finish. But Slavia didn’t give up—they had 17 shots in the second half and managed to score in the 90th minute through Wiktor Novak. Although Arsenal held on for a crucial three points, Arteta’s post-match reaction showed he expects more from the team and sent a message to other Premier League sides.
In his interview with TNT Sports reporter Danny Jamieson, Arteta mentioned how busy Arsenal’s schedule has been—they’ve played three away games in just seven days. Despite that, he said their standards need to be higher. “We’ve done well playing 11 away games by early November,” he said, “but we still have to improve.”
At the press conference, Arteta added that winning away is tough but they faced a strong opponent and showed quality in the first half. “We played with great tempo, intensity, and clarity and scored two goals, maybe should have scored more,” he explained. “But in the second half, we didn’t meet our usual standards and played below what we expect from ourselves. Still, we managed to hang on and win, which is a big lesson for us.”
Arteta also pointed out how much traveling Arsenal has done so far this season. Out of their Champions League group games, three have been away matches. Even their Carabao Cup games, including the loss to Fleetwood, were on the road.
The good news is things will calm down soon. Over the next month, six of their next nine games, including big matches against Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Real Madrid, will be at their home ground, the Emirates Stadium. They’ll also host Bournemouth and Hull in the Premier League, giving their fans plenty to cheer about in North London.