Arsenal’s first Champions League campaign in seven years has come to an end. Bayern Munich eliminated the Gunners with a 3-2 aggregate loss.
Despite the defeat, Arsenal’s season can still be considered a success in many ways.
Mikel Arteta has admitted that he is pushing a young team to its limits in their quest to win silverware at the end of the season.
With just two points separating the top three, Arsenal and Liverpool are still alive in the Premier League title race, but after losing to Real Madrid, the defending champions, Manchester City may want to win it again.
Arteta said he’s extremely proud of his players for coming close to reaching the Champions League semi-finals, and perhaps the experience will pay off in future campaigns.
“We haven’t been in the Champions League for seven years; we haven’t been in this position for 14 years, but our intention is to fast-forward everything and, in our first season, be ready to play in the semi-finals and we were very close,” he said on Wednesday night after exiting the Champions League.
Arteta continued: “Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to do it, so we have to learn from it, me first, and earn the right to be in the same position next season.I’m obviously very sad.”
Arteta shifts focus to the Premier League
After back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and now Bayern, Mikel has urged his players to put that pain behind them, with so much still to come this term.
With six games remaining in the Premier League, Arsenal remains in a strong position, and Mikel believes that the right support from the coaching staff and supporters could make all the difference as they look to end the season with silverware.
Meanwhile, Manchester City was also knocked out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals after losing 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at home against Real Madrid.
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