Arsenal fell to defeat in opposition to Porto within the first leg of their Champions League conflict in opposition to Porto and should enhance once they return to the Emirates in three weeks time
Arteta’s blunt assessment
The Arsenal boss anticipated higher from his aspect and believes that they didn’t take sufficient care with the ball throughout the course of 90 minutes. The Spaniard acknowledged the Gunners weren’t threatening sufficient and was upset to not see extra aggression.
He informed TNT Sport: “Obviously we have to manage much better when you cannot win. The way we handled the ball on three occasions in deep areas is not good enough. And then it’s half-time. If you want to win the quarter-finals, you have to beat your opponent. And this is what we have to do at the Emirates now.”
“We lacked threat,” Arsena’s head coach added. “We lacked much more threat, more aggression [was needed] especially when we had the ball in the final third, especially in the back as well, more purpose to help them. So we will tweak a few things to attack better especially because to be fair we haven’t conceded [chances] at all but we can do better.”
Suspension tightrope
To add insult to damage, Declan Rice can be left in a precarious state of affairs within the second leg in opposition to Porto. The England midfielder picked up a yellow card simply two minutes into Arsenal’s last-16 conflict on Wednesday evening.
Rice was sluggish to reply as the ball head in his path and was pressured to dive in on Galeno, with the referee fast to brandish a yellow card as a consequence. It is the 25-year-old’s second warning of the competitors to date and yet another will see him suspended.
Of course, Arsenal might want to overcome their first-leg defeat once they return to the Emirates however Rice can be required to drive his staff to victory whereas holding his disciplinary report in examine.
According to UEFA rule 52.02: “From the first match in the group stage, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, which did not result in a red card, as well as following any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.).”
Rio Ferdinand assessment
The former Manchester United defender mentioned that Arsenal have been ‘a shadow of themselves’ in defeat to Porto. Ferdinand believes the north London aspect’s lack of ability to check Diogo Costa price them, and given their efficiency would have been proud of a goalless draw.
“They have been managing the sport OK,” explained the TNT Sports pundit. “I mentioned within the first half the transitions have been hurting them and I believed they good management at components, however at this stage you’ve bought to create probabilities, get past groups and make keepers work and Arsenal by no means actually bought to that stage in the present day.
“I think they would have been happy with a 0-0 after the way the game panned out but this is the level we’re at. When you get to knockout football in the Champions League, this is the top level. You have to approach these games right and if you make mistakes and give the ball away cheaply at this level you get punished.”
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