Arsenal received a “strong hook”! Mikel Arteta's reaction after the setback that puts the title in jeopardy

The last 3 weeks have been a nightmare for Arsenal: Mikel Arteta's side lost the FA Cup final, 0-2 to Manchester City, were eliminated by Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, 1-2, and today they lost at home in the Championship, 1-2 to Bournemouth, a result that puts Manchester City back in the books for the champion's trophy.

How did Mikel Arteta comment on today's disappointing performance? We reproduce the dialogue held by the TNT Sports reporter with the coach of the “gunners”.

Mikel Arteta's statements after Arsenal – Bournemouth 1-2

– Mikel, please give us some thoughts after this match.
– Well, it's extremely disappointing, obviously. It's a powerful hook and it matters how we react now.

– What exactly didn't work on the field? Was it difficult to find a rhythm? Was it something that stuck with your team or did Bournemouth manage to block you?
– I think we should congratulate them for what they did. It's a team that obviously hasn't lost in 11 games for a reason, and that's because they're doing a lot of things right. And we, especially in the first half, had a lot of opportunities when we broke their pressure, won the ball back to run and have open spaces, but we were far from effective.

Their first opportunity, or the first opportunity they had to attack the box, it was a deflection, we had a really bad defensive phase and it cost us the goal. And that's obviously something we have to manage on an emotional level. We tried to recover from that moment, we tried to put pressure on them, we scored the goal from the penalty in the second half. You expect a different game, but… yeah, I did a lot of weird things today, I'd say.

– Does this surprise you? Like you just said, some weird stuff and the fact that you weren't efficient. Does it surprise you, given what you usually see of the team?
– Yes, because we were very consistent. It can happen; this is football. Sometimes you also have to give credit to the opponent for what they do, for the way they took advantage… I don't know how many shots they had, but the way they took advantage of our actions, our errors. Today we were far from our level.

– How much does this result hurt the guys in the locker room right now?
– A lot. And so it must be. It has to hurt, you have to take the hit and there are no gray areas now. You either get up and go to battle, or you're knocked out. That's what this level will demand from now on.

– And do you feel this is the most important week of your career as a manager and for these guys, given the stakes?
– It's a big week, there's a lot at stake. We are still in a very good position in both competitions, but we have to do better, that's for sure.

• Arsenal has 9 points more than Manchester City, but the “citizens” have two games in hand, and the next stage follows the direct duel, at the Etihad. If he wins all his remaining matches, City would very likely become champions!