Arteta ‘understands’ the criticism aimed at him but says he has ‘so much to achieve’ at Arsenal | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta vowed he has “so much to achieve” at Arsenal amid criticism aimed at him following his side’s Champions League exit.

The Gunners will make it a fifth season in a row without a trophy after being knocked out at the semi-final stage by PSG.

Arteta’s side also reached the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, and look well placed to finish as runners up in the Premier League for a third season running.

The Arsenal boss is adamant that what his team have done over the past three seasons is deserving of having silverware to show for it, but his side’s failure to get over the line has generated discussion among some about whether he is the right man to do it.

But the Spaniard had a clear message to those who doubt him.

“I have so much to achieve and do and improve and get done,” he said.

“That’s what drives me every day. The staff and the players drive me every single day.

“If there is somebody, probably, that has raised the standard and the expectation the highest, it’s been me, and after that much more and more.

“But, for me, it’s the only way to do it. Everybody has really high standards and demands and we are very, very close to achieving it.

“I understand the disappointment and with this comes the criticism, it’s all part of that. At the end, there is one winner and the rest of them are not going to win so they need to reinvest themselves and do better and that’s part of the cycle.”

Arteta admits that his side lacked “exceptional” moments in their Champions League semi-final ties, however, and highlighted that as an area to improve.

“You need something exceptional, to make those moments,” he said. “What Inter have done is something exceptional. What PSG have done, with Dembele scoring from an expected goals of 0.07, or Fabian Ruiz scoring the first goal in the Champions League for him, and Hakimi scores as a full-back.

“You have to do something and we didn’t do it. Was that lacking? Yeah. Could we have done it in a different way? If we had big Gabi from a set-piece or defending the box in a different way? I don’t know. But that’s the reality and at the end they are through and we are out and for sure, we will learn a lot of things from it.”