Ahead of Sporting clash, Arsenal slip up, Arteta: huge slap | OneFootball

After suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth this Saturday in a Premier League Matchday 32 clash, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was disappointed after having been in front. The Gunners are just a few days away from hosting Sporting in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, after winning 1-0 in Alvalade.

"It’s disappointing. It’s a big slap in the face and now what matters is understanding how we react. They are a team that hasn’t lost in 12 games for a reason — they did a lot of things well," said the Spanish coach in comments to TNT Sports.

"We were far from efficient. In the first chance they had to attack the box, there’s a deflection, a poor defensive action, and it ends in a goal. It’s something we have to recover from. In the second half, a different kind of game was expected, but we did a lot of strange things today," he lamented.

Asked whether the players are hurting, Arteta replied: "A lot, it has to hurt, but now they have to accept the blow and either get back up and fight, or fall by the wayside. It will be a big week, with a lot at stake. We are still in a good position in both competitions."

It should be noted that the second leg of the tie will be played on Wednesday, April 15, at 8:00 p.m., at the Emirates Stadium. Before that, however, Sporting are scheduled to face Estrela da Amadora today, April 11, at 8:30 p.m., at the José Gomes Stadium. The match will count for Matchday 29 of the Liga Portugal Betclic.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.