Mikel Arteta speaks after match against Borussia Dortmund

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta shared his thoughts after the London club’s 3–2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup.

The Spanish coach spoke candidly about the team’s current condition, the mistakes being made and the tasks ahead.

“Although it was a friendly, the defeat hurts”

Accepting the defeat without excuses, Mikel Arteta stressed that there is still plenty of work to do within the team:

“We lost, and of course that does not make us happy. It is clear that we need to improve the situation immediately. Some of our players need more minutes and match rhythm, and this game was very useful for them in that regard.

Although this was not an official match, any defeat should hurt. However, we have a clear understanding of where we are at the moment. Many of our players have yet to return, while some have not had enough training sessions. That is why suffering defeats like this can sometimes be useful.”Arteta said.

Mistakes and collective responsibility

The Arsenal manager also addressed the goals conceded in recent matches and shortcomings in the defensive line:

“A few days ago, we conceded simple and poor goals, and the same thing happened today. We made mistakes, especially in one-on-one duels and situations following challenges on the pitch. But this is a shared team responsibility.

That is why we must improve together with the players available to us and eliminate our shortcomings. We want to improve our football, and we will certainly achieve that.”Arteta’s words were quoted by Sky Sports .