Arteta admits he ‘feels the pressure’ after Arsenal Europa League failure

Stefan Bienkowski
Stefan Bienkowski
  • Updated: 23 May 2023 08:39 CDT
  • 3 min read
Arteta admits he ‘feels the pressure’ after Arsenal Europa League failure
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that he ‘feels the pressure’ after his side failed to beat Villarreal and reach the final of the Europa League on Thursday. 

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The Premier League giants had a slight advantage ahead of the second leg, after a 2-1 defeat in Spain gave Arteta’s side an away goal advantage. 

However, following a hard-fought performance from Unai Emery’s side, Arsenal struggled to break their opponents down and were ultimately knocked out by a 0-0 draw. 

That result now means that unless Arsenal can claw back a five-point gap to finish seventh in the Premier League table, the north London club will not be taking part in European competition next season. 

As such, Arteta now faces a huge amount of criticism from fans that have now seen the club get knocked out of three cup competitions this season, along with an abject league campaign. 

Arteta: I think everybody’s job is always under scrutiny

And while Arteta believes his side should have won the match on Thursday, he understands that he is now under a huge amount of pressure. 

When asked if he was aware of the criticism and anger from supports, Arteta told BT Sport: “I feel the pressure all the time because I want to do as well as I can for the team, for every supporter that we have here and for our fans and today is a big disappointment because we tried everything to be in that final.”

He added: “The way we started in Villarreal wasn’t good enough. We didn’t arrive here in the best moment with everyone in their best condition. For 90% of them it was their first semi-final and we have to learn.”

READ MORE: ‘His inexperience has cost him’ – Arteta under immense pressure after Villarreal defeat

“The only way [to qualify for Europe] is through the Premier League so we know what we have ahead of us. Today is a big disappointment because we tried everything.”

When asked if his job was specifically under threat at the post-match press conference, the Arsenal manager said: “I think everybody’s job is always under scrutiny.” 

Read more about: Premier League

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