Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called for perspective as his team prepares for a pivotal Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, following their first back-to-back defeats of the season.
The Gunners enter the match after losses to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final, raising questions about whether a slump could derail their Premier League and European ambitions. Despite these setbacks, Arsenal still hold a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League and have reached at least the quarter-final stage in all three cup competitions they entered this season.
Arteta emphasized the need to maintain a balanced view of the situation. "Have some perspective about how difficult it is what we have done until now," he stated. "Feel the pain, feel the emotion and use it to be better and improve."
The Spanish manager defended his team's performance against Southampton, saying they were "very clear" about why they lost and believed they didn't deserve defeat. "This is football and we got punished for things that are related to our identity," Arteta explained. "These are things we need to defend in the strongest possible way."
Despite recent results, Arteta insisted his squad remains focused and motivated. "We are hungrier than ever," he declared, adding that the importance of the Champions League clash hasn't diminished. "If we had won the game, this is the quarter-finals of the Champions League, it doesn't get much better. We worked so hard throughout the season to be at this stage in the competition."
Arsenal's style of play has drawn scrutiny at times this season, but now the team's mentality faces examination as they seek their first major trophy since 2020. With three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League under Arteta, the pressure to convert their impressive form into silverware continues to mount.
Sporting manager Ruben Borges acknowledged Arsenal's recent struggles but warned his team to expect a determined opponent, suggesting the Gunners would be a "wounded beast" in Lisbon.