Mikel Arteta refused to criticise his Arsenal players despite their shock FA Cup exit

Despite Arsenal’s unexpected FA Cup elimination at the hands of Southampton, Mikel Arteta declined to condemn his team. The Championship team defeated the Gunners 2-1 on Saturday night, denying them a spot in the semi-finals at Wembley later this month.

Two weeks after their lacklustre performance against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal is now suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season. At St Mary’s, Arsenal performed poorly once more, faltering nearly every time Southampton counterattacked. Ben White misread a cross to give the Saints the lead, while Shea Charles’ goal in the closing minutes was the result of shoddy defence.

Before the Premier League championship run-in continues, Arteta’s team must quickly regain some confidence before travelling to Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday night. As he promised to “defend them more than ever”, the Arsenal boss was eager to highlight the physical strain his players continue to endure.

Arteta refuses to criticise Arsenal for shock Southampton defeat

The setback comes after Arsenal’s League Cup final defeat, which quickly reduced the North London team’s four-trophy chase to just two. In spite of this, Arteta urged Arsenal to “look at ourselves in the mirror” rather than condemn his squad.

“I like my teammates’ efforts throughout the past nine months. I won’t be critical of them for their defeat. Some of them didn’t have to be here today, despite what they are enduring. I’ll stand up for them more than ever.

“I am the one who must assume responsibility. The most exquisite time is yet to come. This is the first instance of a degree of difficulty; typically, a season has two or three such occurrences. Let’s take a stance and prove ourselves.

“There are no justifications for players who are absent or who are having problems. Let’s examine ourselves in the mirror, acknowledge the circumstances, resist them, and go on with clarity.