“I regret not starting him, If he had started we could have won very easily”: Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta regrets not starting ONE particular player against Manchester City
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted his side dominated Manchester City but was ‘very disappointed’ after being held to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners went behind early through Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute strike before Gabriel Martinelli levelled late on. Despite controlling large parts of the game, Arteta was left disappointed with the result.
Arteta reflects on the display
Speaking after the match, Arteta made clear his pride in the team’s overall performance but was left ‘very disappointed’ with the draw
“I’m very proud of the team. I must say, the way we played, we dominated them and I’m very disappointed with the result.”
The Spaniard felt Arsenal’s fast start showed their intent, forcing City to defend deep and restricting their usual rhythm.
“We started incredibly well. So dominant again. We were playing in their half, and we didn’t allow them to breathe. But in one action, that was very chaotic, because the ball bounces.
It’s a duel there, we lose it, and suddenly find themselves to be true in open spaces. And they are lethal there, and they finish the action with the quality that they have.”
Responding to City’s goal
Arteta admitted the opening goal unsettled his team for a brief period but praised their ability to recover and take back control.
“After that, we had our five shaky minutes that we have to reset mentally because it was so unfair to concede a goal with what we were doing, and after that, we just completely dominated the game again.”
The Arsenal boss highlighted his side’s mentality in continuing to press City, eventually earning their late reward through Martinelli’s strike.
The draw keeps Arsenal in the chase for the Premier League title, but Arteta’s words underline his belief that his team showed superiority over their rivals for most of the contest.
The Gunners are currently second in the league with 10 points from five games, trailing league leaders Liverpool by five points.
