Mikel Arteta – Arsenal Are Nowhere Close To Their Best

Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal are still far from their best.

The Gunners lost their Europa League second leg tie against Olympiacos but progressed to the quarter-finals on aggregate goals.

Arteta made wholesale changes in attack and saw the team’s levels drop invariably on Thursday night. The Gunners did come to threaten Olympiacos but did not take their chances well, seeing the 90 minutes out to a nervy end.

“Really happy to be through. We had a tough opponent, so happy to be through,” Arteta told BT Sport. “Sometimes we have to be fair with ourselves – we were nowhere near the levels we could be.

“We were unstable with the ball and we gave it away. It’s impossible when you give the ball away to have any structure. We created enough chances to win but were nowhere near the levels in which we can perform.

“We can’t use any excuses. We had fresh players in the side. We started the game really well but then we had lack of stability. We need to keep the ball and play some passes together and not just keep giving the ball away in transitions.

“When we conceded, we did get better and got more control but with their goal, we gave them some belief, which you cannot give to the opponent. We’ll get better. When it comes to decision-making and execution, it’s a little bit more difficult.

“We need another win in the Premier League and it’s a big chance after the international break to get a run together.”