Mikel Arteta Disappointed With Arsenal’s Defence After 2-3 Loss to Villarreal
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s careless defending after they suffered a 3-2 friendly defeat against Villarreal.
Arteta stated that Arsenal were careless at the back and paid a heavy price, following their second consecutive pre-season defeat. The Gunners had started their pre-season campaign with wins over AC Milan and Newcastle United. However, they went on to lose to city rivals Tottenham Hotspur and then conceded twice within the first 33 minutes against Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
“Today’s result is definitely painful. I believe they (Villarreal) were extremely clinical, but we were careless—particularly in how we defended open spaces. That is an area we absolutely need to perfect, especially considering our style of play,” Arteta told reporters.
“Today we were poor in that aspect, and without doubt, it cost us the match.”
However, Arteta took some positives from the performance of forward Viktor Gyokeres, who recently completed his €63.5 million (approx. $74.14 million) move from Sporting Lisbon, and was given his first start in an Arsenal jersey.
“It was very crucial for him to begin a match and start developing that connection and understanding with the rest of the team,” Arteta said.
“He’s only been training with us for about a week, but I observed a lot of positive signs and intent, especially in how he attacked certain spaces.”
Arteta also had high praise for 15-year-old attacking midfielder Max Dowman, who won a penalty for the side.
“He keeps impressing us, without a doubt. His impact in today’s match once again, and the precision he shows in every offensive move and involvement, is outstanding,” the Spanish coach added.
