Gyokeres moans about pitch and Arteta hits back before Sporting clash | OneFootball

Arsenal go into the clash with Sporting amid a somewhat tense atmosphere, following comments that did not go unnoticed. Viktor Gyokeres, the Swedish striker, pointed to the state of the pitch at the Emirates as one of the factors that made the team’s performance more difficult in the defeat to Bournemouth.

At the end of that match, the Swedish goalscorer was blunt: "The pitch was a bit dry in that area, to be honest, and that didn’t help", he admitted, although he also said the team needed to do better with their finishing. The comments quickly drew attention and were brought up at the press conference ahead of this Wednesday’s European match.

Asked about the issue, Mikel Arteta chose a short but telling response. "I learned a few lessons and, after the game, I realised that I shouldn’t talk about anything else because it always comes back around". The Spanish coach avoided fuelling the controversy, but hinted at some dissatisfaction with the media attention it generated.

With a 1-0 win at Alvalade in the first leg, Arsenal take to the pitch with the advantage, but Sporting still hope to turn the tie around. The match, scheduled for this Wednesday in London, will decide who advances to the Champions League semi-finals.

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