Mikel Arteta has
warned his players that qualifying for Europe is the minimum expectation at
Arsenal.
Arteta has reminded his stars of his and their
‘responsibility’ to secure a place in the continental competition as Arsenal’s
season hangs in the balance.
Asked if he is under pressure to get Arsenal into Europe,
Arteta said: ‘It is not
pressure – it is our responsibility. The club we represent has high demands and
that is the minimum we can ask for and we have to, over time, work to deliver
those goals because it is what we get asked for.’
Arsenal are tenth in the Premier League, ten points off
the top four, and have work to do to qualify for the Europa League semi-finals
after being held to a last-eight, the first-leg draw by Slavia Prague.
Arteta came in for criticism for his tactics, team
selection, and leaving it too late to make attacking changes, including the
78th-minute introduction of dropped duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and scorer
Nicolas Pepe, against Slavia Prague.
And a number of the concerns voiced by supporters in the
wake of the Europa League setback are understood to be shared by some members
of Arteta’s squad who have also been privately questioning some of his methods.
Failure to progress
past Slavia Prague or turn things around in the league will leave Arsenal
preparing for their first season without European football since 1995-96.
Arteta said: ‘It is true there are some really good examples of teams that were rebuilding their teams and it helped them in their project, but I would rather be in Europe.’
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