"I'm not happy about that" - ex-Gunner slams Arteta comments & tips Arsenal to lose CL final | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been heavily criticised by one of the club’s former captains in William Gallas.

Gallas told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction that he was not happy with how Arteta dealt with the 1-1 draw away to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final this week.

The Spanish tactician hit out at a controversial refereeing decision that saw the Gunners have a penalty overturned for what looked like a clear foul on Eberechi Eze.

See below for a video clip from Arteta’s post-match press conference, with the manager clearly unhappy at what could prove to be a crucial decision in deciding this course of this tie…

Arsenal will probably be satisfied with a 1-1 draw from a tough away game, but this could also quite easily have been a win for Arteta’s side to put them on the brink of the Champions League final.

William Gallas criticises Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments

Still, Gallas felt this was not the way Arteta should have dealt with the incident, as this is simply the kind of thing that happens in many games for all teams all season long.

“In terms of the Ebere Eze penalty which was overturned, and Mikel Arteta’s comments on it after the game… look, I can only say so much about it because I’m not the manager, and I know there are lots of emotions on these occasions. But, for me, regardless of whether it was or wasn’t a penalty, you shouldn’t be coming out of a game like that and looking for something or someone to blame,” Gallas said.

“I’m not happy about that, because if you go back and look at decisions made by referees throughout the season – and this isn’t just about Arsenal, by the way – both in the Premier League, and in Europe, you will find plenty of examples of moments where certain decisions have gone in your favour, and you aren’t coming out after those games and talking about how the wrong decision was made.

“You know, on Wednesday night, that decision didn’t favour Arsenal, but there have been other moments in other games where certain decisions have favoured them… I like to see the manager staying focused and talking about the way his team played, or what they could have done better, rather than jumping on that opportunity to blame the referee or the people behind VAR.”

Gallas tips Arsenal to make the final but lose

Gallas went on to say he can’t see Arsenal winning the Champions League this season, regardless of who they play in the final.

AFC look like the slight favourites to go through against Atletico, but Gallas thinks they’ll lose against either of the other semi-finalists PSG and Bayern Munich.

“After what I’ve seen across both semi-finals, I would expect, from here, to see Bayern and Arsenal in the final,” the former France international added.

“You know, PSG were in a great position in their game at 5-2, but they have allowed Bayern back into that game and now go to Germany with a difficult task ahead of them. They’ve left the door open for Bayern, and I think – especially because that game is in Munich – they’ll lose.

“From there, I would say that Bayern wins the Champions League. In fact, even if PSG beat Bayern and make the final, I would expect them to also beat Arsenal.”