Crying on Arsenal's shoulder after disastrous week: 'We are desperate'

At a press conference, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta painted a somber picture of the mood within the team following a tough week.

"I entered a deflated locker room; the level of disappointment was palpable. I struggled to find the words to motivate them again I wish I had those words. We must persevere. As a coaching staff, it's our responsibility to stand very close to the players, offering them the necessary support and love during this time," Arteta explained, highlighting the psychological toll on the team.

Declan Rice, too, shared his profound disappointment and emotional pain after the team's recent failures. "We are devastated, truly at a loss. It's difficult to express the feeling. I'm hurting. I came with so much hunger, desire, and passion, and I desperately wanted to push us across the finish line. Like everyone else, it was clear how much we all wanted to succeed," Rice conveyed, reflecting the collective aspiration and subsequent disillusionment of the squad.

Arteta also touched upon the irony of feeling that his team had outplayed Bayern Munich in both legs of their encounter, despite the outcomes. "We seemed to rely on a single magical moment or a mistake from them to seize opportunities, which speaks to our need for improvement in creation," he admitted. Arteta put the team's challenges in a broader historical context, "It has taken other clubs seven to ten years to find success in the Champions League. We've been absent from this competition for seven years and haven't progressed this far in fourteen years. There's an eagerness to achieve it all in one season, but that's simply not realistic."

Arteta's reflections shed light on the complexities of building a team capable of competing at the highest levels of European football, emphasizing patience and long-term development over immediate success. This perspective is especially relevant for a club like Arsenal, where expectations are perennially high and the pressure to deliver is immense.