A visibly disappointed Mikel Arteta didn’t mince his words following Arsenal’s unexpected 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners’ manager lamented his team’s significant dip in performance, highlighting a collective failure to maintain their usual high standards.
“We dropped our standards today,” Arteta stated plainly, his frustration evident as he dissected a match where his side struggled for consistency, gifting possession away cheaply and reacting sluggishly across the pitch.
The Arsenal boss pinpointed a fundamental lack of control, a hallmark of their successful spells this season.
“We didn’t find enough consistency in actions to dominate the game,” he conceded.
While the looming shadow of their crucial UEFA Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain next Tuesday hung in the air, Arteta firmly rejected the notion of it being a distraction.
“We have enough time to prepare for PSG but today we didn’t deliver enough rights to win the game,” he insisted.
Adding to Arteta’s woes was the noticeable absence of key personnel. He alluded to a depleted squad, revealing that “a lot of players that haven’t trained at all, they weren’t able to do it today so we were very short.”
This lack of options undoubtedly contributed to the disjointed performance, but Arteta refrained from using it as a sole excuse. “In many aspects of the game we should have done better today,” he reiterated.
As they now pivot towards their pivotal European encounter, Arteta’s immediate concern will be rectifying the dropped standards and ensuring his players rediscover the control and intensity that have defined their season, preventing a similar lapse against PSG.
