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The Arsenal players were unable to play as a team in the regrettable 3-0 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League, according to manager Mikel Arteta.
Mikel Arteta criticized a “sloppy” display by his Arsenal players and said they did not play as a team during the sad 3-0 loss to Aston Villa.
The Gunners suffered back-to-back defeats at home in the Premier League after a meek display at the Emirates, as a double by Ollie Watkins and an own goal by Bukayo Saka gave Villa a well-deserved victory.
Arsenal lacked intention going forward and have only scored nine goals in eight Premier League games this season, which is the fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1998-99.
Arteta’s team also failed to keep a clean sheet at home in the Premier League for the seventh game in a row and ranks 11th in the table.
The Arsenal manager took the blame for the loss, but did not hold back in expressing his disappointment at the level of performance of his players.
“We perform below our standards and I have to say this is the first time I have seen us play and we were not a team,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“We lost all the duels and we were careless with the ball. When we created chances we didn’t hit the mark. We left space and, on the counterattack, we looked very vulnerable.”
“I take full responsibility. I am responsible for making the team work on the field and we were not a team.
“It takes a lot to build momentum, to build a way of being, living and acting, and when a result like that comes up, it’s hard to accept.
“But in a difficult moment you learn more than in a positive moment and I want to see how we react.”
While Arteta’s claim that his team “lost every match” was not supported by the statistics (Arsenal won 38 in total), it was 11 fewer than the 49 matches in which Villa prevailed.
Arsenal had a total of 13 shots, but only two of them were on target, while Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang did not register a single attempt, the first time the forward has played 90 minutes in a Premier League home game and failed to register at least one effort.
Arteta acknowledged that his team’s lack of goals this season was a real cause for concern.
“We are not creating enough opportunities,” Arteta told BBC Radio 5 live. “The ones we created were clear enough to score at least one goal, but if you look at the numbers from the last games, it’s not enough.
“When you’re not in the races, and you’re not at your best, teams destroy you in the Premier League. It’s a really bad combination if you don’t defend your draw well enough and have chances but don’t save them.”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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