Mikel Arteta shares the three things he told his Arsenal players in the dressing room after losing last night

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has shared what he told his players in the dressing room after the disappointing 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United last night.

The Gunners were hammered by Tottenham Hotspur last week and many expected to see them turn up and silence their doubters at St James’ Park yesterday. However, the opposite happened.

Arsenal looked worse last night than they did against Spurs last week. They simply couldn’t get going, and Newcastle were the better team from the very first minute to the last.

The defeat means Arsenal’s Champions League dreams are all but over now, which really is a shame.

• ‘Do it on the pitch’: Neville and Carragher furious with what Granit Xhaka did after Arsenal lost last night

What Arteta told Arsenal players after losing to Newcastle

Arsenal would’ve clearly come into the game last night with a plan, but it looks like that wasn’t followed at all. Arteta looked a frustrated man throughout the 90 minutes, and he was not happy after the game either.

The Spaniard spoke to Sky Sports a few moments after he had a chance to talk to his players in the dressing room. Arteta was asked what he told them and the Gunners boss named three things.

He said: “(I told them) I’m extremely disappointed. That Newcastle were 10 times better than us and fully deserved (to win) the match.”

Arteta further added: “The performance was nowhere near the level if we want to play in the Champions League. Today we weren’t at the races.”

TBR View:

Arsenal’s hopes of finishing inside the top four are now as good as over. The only way they can qualify for the Champions League next season is if they beat Everton on the final day and Spurs lose to already-relegated Norwich.

The chances of the latter happening are extremely slim – some even feel it’s impossible.

Nobody really expected Arsenal to be anywhere close to fourth. Arteta and Arsenal’s young players deserve immense praise for getting this close, but it will be viewed as a missed opportunity considering that Champions League qualification was all in their hands.

It will be interesting to see how the Gunners will respond on the final day, but sadly, even a 20-0 win over the Toffees could prove to be meaningless.

• Tottenham send out three word reaction on Twitter just minutes after Arsenal’s loss tonight