Arsenal Manager Speaks for the First Time After Gunners Fail to Qualify for Europa League Final

Arsenal Manager Speaks for the First Time After Gunners Fail to Qualify for Europa League Final

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:44 PM

- Mikel Arteta failed to inspire his Arsenal side past the Europa League semifinal against Villarreal

- The Gunners were eliminated from the tournament having failed to overturn a 2-1 first leg loss

- Arteta has stated that he remains the right man for the Arsenal job, admitting he feels the pressure as well

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended himself after the Gunners failed to reach the Europa League final as they miss out of European football next season.

The Premier League club were eliminated in the semifinal of the competition by Spanish side Villarreal on Thursday night after failing to overturn the 2-1 first leg deficit.

The Gunners needed to score at least a goal to secure their passage to their second consecutive final but they crashed out after losing 2-1 on aggregate.

Mikel Arteta's men kicked off the game like they meant serious business with their captain Pierre-Emerich Aubameyang hitting the post but it was just a flash in the pan.

When asked if he was the right man to pick his players up, Arteta said via Sky Sports:

“I wouldn’t be sitting here if I couldn’t. You will see it. It’s not about talking, it’s about showing it on the pitch.
“I feel the pressure all the time because I want to do as good as I can for the team, for every support that I have here and for the fans. Today is a big disappointment because we tried everything to be in that final.
“I think everybody’s job is under scrutiny.”

Meanwhile, Manchester United have booked a place in this season's Europa League final after seeing off AS Roma in a two-legged semi-final fixture.

United were looking to make amends to their performance from last season when they were bundled out of the competition in the semis by Sevilla.

And they took a huge step towards progressing to the last round of the tournament following their 6-2 win over the Italian giants in the first leg, but lost 3-2 in the reverse fixture to progress 8-5 on aggregates.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that N'golo Kante was named the man of the match for both Champions League semifinal games between Chelsea and Real Madrid.

The Frenchman helped the Blues advance to the final of the continental championship on 3-1 aggregate following their 2-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, May 5.

Goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount ensured Thomas Tuchel's men maintain their impressive performances, having started the season under Frank Lampard on a poor note.

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Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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