Mikel Arteta has said he must show “support and love” to Arsenal after Bayern Munich were eliminated from the Champions League.
Aston Villa won 2-0 in the Premier League title race last Sunday, making it the second consecutive loss for Arsenal, who lost control.
“I wish I had the right words to say to the players to make them feel better. What I'm trying to do, and the whole coaching staff is, is to be there for the players.” Arteta he said.
“As a coach, I’m so grateful to be able to work with them every day.”
Arsenal were aiming to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009, but Arteta accepted his side were inexperienced at this stage of the competition. This is the first time they have advanced to the quarterfinals since 2010.
“We haven't been in this tournament for seven years and we haven't been on this stage for 14 years,” he said. “There's a reason for that.
“We want to do everything quickly, super quickly in one season. I think we have the ability and the quality to get to the semi-finals because the difference is very small.”
“Those margins probably come from something else that we don't have yet. We have to learn that.
“Historically, it took other clubs seven, eight, 10 years to achieve that. It certainly doesn't make us feel any better today.”
The Gunners return to Premier League action on Saturday against Wolves, with City needing to drop points to claim their first league title since 2003-04.
“All I have to do is stand next to them and give them support and love. We have a big big game on Saturday so we have to embrace that,” Arteta said.
“We are still playing in the Premier League. The Premier League exists and we really want it. We have to show now that we have the ability to turn this situation around.”
