ไทย
English
中國人
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that his squad were left furious following their unexpected 3–1 loss to Real Betis on Wednesday.
A reasonably strong starting eleven found themselves 2–0 down within 26 minutes and headed into the break trailing 3–1. The Gunners controlled the ball for large spells but were a pale imitation of their typically defensively solid selves, as Betis created more chances and thoroughly deserved their win.
While it was only a preseason friendly, where building match fitness takes precedence over results, Arteta admitted his players were far from pleased with their lackluster display.
"Very upset, given a hard time," Arteta said of his players' response to the loss. "They are fuming, but this is good. That's what we need."
Arteta Pleads for Calm Heads After Bruising Defeat
Although Arsenal were not at full strength on Wednesday, the starting lineup was identical to the one that kicked off Friday's 4–1 victory over Girona. Viktor Gyökeres, Kai Havertz, Piero Hincapié, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White were among those featuring alongside summer recruit Christos Tzolis.
Reserve goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, deputizing while David Raya recovers from Spain's triumphant World Cup campaign, had a particularly difficult outing. His error gifted Betis their opening goal, and Kepa also failed to deal with a wayward pass from Havertz that led to the third.
The majority of the game's action was concentrated in the first half, after which Arsenal introduced a wave of substitutions that, as is common in preseason, disrupted the match's rhythm.
"It's true we used 25 players, so you need to give a bit of context to the game," Arteta explained.
"In the first half, with more starters, two very different things: how we played and how we competed, because we had some fantastic moments in the time we played.
"The way we competed, especially in and around our box in a number of standards that we are used to ... there are things to improve obviously, some positives to take from the game and then a bad result. Sometimes it's good to create even more fire in the belly."
Arsenal Still Missing Key Players
Arsenal are paying the price for their players' success at the World Cup, with several still yet to return to pre-season training.
Spain's title-winning squad featured Raya, Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi, while the English contingent of Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka participated in the third-place playoff. Club skipper Martin Ødegaard featured in the quarterfinals representing Norway.
Centre back Gabriel and winger Gabriel Martinelli have only recently returned following their involvement with Brazil, while French defender William Saliba would still be on holiday regardless, having sustained a back injury that could leave him sidelined for several months.
Ødegaard is anticipated to return shortly and could make his first preseason outing in Sunday's friendly against Borussia Dortmund.