“We Conceded Nothing” – Arteta Proud Of Defensive Performance Against Newcastle Utd

Mikel Arteta heaps praise on his rearguard…

Embed from Getty Images

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta heaped praise on the defensive performance of his side at St James’s Park with the defeat to Newcastle United being decided by a scandalous decision, the Spaniard told Arsenal Media.

While chances were scarce for both sides, the onus was on us to keep the home side at bay who’ve built a reputation of explosive performances on Tyneside.

Paris St-Germain were blown away at Newcastle United recently, while Eddie Howe’s men also eliminated Manchester City from the Carabao Cup at home.

Arteta decided to line up with a physical side for the assignment, with four central defenders across the back four as Takehiro Tomiyasu came in for Alex Zinchenko.

In midfield, Jorginho anchored the game with Kai Havertz and Declan Rice either side of him as the boys competed emphatically at a tough ground.

The home side didn’t even register a single shot at goal for 60 minutes before the game descended into a farce after their winner was allowed to stand.

“For what the boys did out there and the way a football match has to be played, and what is allowed in football to score a goal, obviously we are talking about a very different topic,” Arteta was quoted as saying.

I feel embarrassed to be part of this show. It is unacceptable and is an absolute disgrace.

“We conceded nothing, and I have to praise my players for the way we played here. I haven’t seen a single team do what we have coming here today, but the reality is that we are out with zero points and they have three.

“In this league the margins are so small, the competition is too big and it is unacceptable to be in this position after what we’ve done on that pitch,” the boss concluded.

It was an unusually brief statement to the club’s in-house channel, with the manager deciding to send a message to the wider press that he’s had enough.

There will undoubtedly be a fallout from this, though one suspects it might result in our manager being reprimanded by the FA.