‘Some people don’t like to see it’ – Arteta hits back at critics after Arsenal confirm Champions League qualification | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta urged his critics to see the bigger picture after his Arsenal side secured another season of Champions League football with a 1-0 win over Newcastle.

Declan Rice’s long-range stunner sealed another second-placed finish for the Gunners for the third season running.

Reflecting on the season, the Arsenal boss admits there is plenty of frustration but says fans must also recognise what has still been achieved in what has been a challenging campaign.

“We had a dream, I said it out there, which was to deliver a big trophy this season for our people because I think the team deserves that with the journey we’ve been on together for the last two or three years,” he said, following the victory.

“We haven’t achieved that and there is a lot of factors and a lot of situations that we’ve been through in the last nine-and-a-half months.

“But we make sure we still value a lot of the incredible things this club is doing, the team is doing, the players are doing, the way we are competing and the consistency that we are showing.

“If we are not able to see that, that’s a really, really dangerous thing to do, just expecting something, (thinking) ‘if we don’t’, that’s a really dangerous thing.

“I know they don’t want us there, where we are now, knocking on the door every year. But make sure we see clarity, we stay disciplined and very clear and ambitious with what we want to do in the summer.”

Arteta also believes his side deserve enormous credit for still managing to finish second in a season which has seen plenty of injury and suspension problems for key players.

“I’m there every day,” he continued. “I know what we’ve been through for nine-and-a-half months, I know what we’ve done, I know very well the history of the Premier League and the teams that have been not even in 30% of the situation we’ve been in, and they have collapsed. Completely collapsed.

“We haven’t and I really value that because that shows that we have built something that is very, very sustainable and consistent, regardless if some people don’t like to see it.”