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Mikel Arteta shares what he privately said to Arsenal’s players after 2-2 draw vs Bayern Munich
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta shares what he told his players after the draw against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
The Gunners, for a change, went into the game against the German champions as the favourites. Many people expected Arsenal to get the job done, but Bayern held them to a 2-2 draw.
Bukayo Saka‘s opener was cancelled out by Serge Gnabry, who celebrated after scoring. Harry Kane then gave Bayern the lead, but Leandro Trossard saved the day for Arsenal in the second half.
Arteta, who would’ve loved to win the game, had to settle for a draw, and he has now shared what he told his players in a private chat.
What Mikel Arteta told Arsenal players after 2-2 draw vs Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have had a terrible campaign.
The Germans have won the Bundesliga title in each of the last 11 seasons. They have always been the dominant force over there.
However, this season, things have not gone to plan. Bayern are already 16 points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table. They could officially be dethroned tomorrow.
That’s why many people viewed Arsenal as the favourites in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates, but two very uncharacteristic mistakes gifted two goals to Bayern.
Arsenal did come back in the end to pick up a draw, and Mikel Arteta viewed that as a serious positive.
The Spaniard claimed after the game that any other team in the world would’ve collapsed after going 2-1 down to Bayern at that stage, but his side fought hard and levelled the game.
Arteta revealed that he told his players how impressed he was with them after the draw.
He said, as relayed on : “When we concede the two goals the way we have done, it does affect. But, it is what you do afterwards.
“You are losing 1-2 after being in total control of the match and then you have to play that game. You have never done it and it’s Bayern Munich and 2-1 down and the expectation was very different and now, you have to cope with that.
“I think the players were exceptional at that, because any other team collapses, and we didn’t. We stayed in the game and we were focused and we made some changes, we had some impact and we got the draw. And we have learned a lot, so it was a great experience to have.”
When asked if that proves Arsenal have come a long way over the last year, he said: “Yes, for sure. I was really impressed with that, I told them, because it’s not easy.”
Mikel Arteta hits back at Bayern Munich’s post-match comments
Both Arsenal and Bayern Munich had their issues with the refereeing at the Emirates on Tuesday.
The Gunners felt they deserved a penalty when Bukayo Saka was brought down, while several people agreed that Harry Kane should’ve been sent off for his reckless elbow on Gabriel Magalhaes.
Bayern were furious with one decision that went against them. Gabriel picked up the ball inside the box while it was in play, but the referee decided against awarding a penalty.
Thomas Tuchel was absolutely furious after the game. He accused the referee of not having the ‘courage’ to award the penalty that his side completely deserved.
Mikel Arteta was asked about this in his press conference yesterday, and the Arsenal boss hit back by saying the referee used ‘common sense’ in the situation instead of making a rash decision.
He said: “Yeah, I did notice it, especially after when there was a certain reaction from them (Bayern).
“I think the referees used the law. The law says to use common sense and whether you take an advantage or not from that situation, which there isn’t any advantage.”