Champions League

[monks data]

Champions League | Group Stage

Nov 8, 2023 at 8pm UK

Emirates Stadium

Arsenal
2 - 0
Sevilla

Trossard (29'), Saka (64')
Zinchenko (81'), Rice (85')

FT(HT: 1-0)

Soumare (66'), Sanchez (71'), Ocampos (77')

Mikel Arteta on VAR outburst: 'I have a duty to defend my club'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 07 November 2023

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta insists that he has a "duty" to defend his club after his explosive VAR rant at full time in the Gunners' 1-0 loss to Newcastle United.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has affirmed that he has a "duty" to defend his club as he doubled down on his officiating outburst after Saturday's 1-0 loss to Newcastle United.

The Gunners were condemned to their first Premier League loss of the season at St James' Park courtesy of an Anthony Gordon strike, which stood despite three separate VAR checks.

Bruno Guimaraes also avoided a red card for an apparent elbow onto the head of Jorginho, sparking a verbal assault from Arteta in his post-match media duties, as the Spaniard labelled the decisions to go against his side a "disgrace".

Arteta also claimed that he felt "sick" and "embarrassed" by the standard of officiating in the Premier League, before Arsenal also backed up their manager in a club statement, hitting out at the "unacceptable" refereeing performance over the weekend.

VAR controversy also reared its ugly head in Tottenham Hotspur's 4-1 loss to Chelsea on Monday, where Spurs had two men sent off, although Ange Postecoglou - who was booked in that match - insisted that referees command respect no matter what.

Arsenal players look dejected after losing to Newcastle United on November 4, 2023 © Reuters

Arteta faced the media again before Wednesday's Champions League clash with Sevilla, and the 41-year-old insisted that he would continue to defend Arsenal in the "best possible way".

"It is my duty to stand in front of you, to stand in front of the cameras and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happens in the game. This is what I did, reflect very openly how I felt that the team played and how they game was conditioned by this result with the decisions that were made," arsenal.com quotes Arteta as saying.

"It's the duty, my duty is defending my players, supporting my players, supporting my club, defending my people in the best possible way and this is what I'm going to do time after time.

"I do it the way I feel with the evidence and being as clear as possible and I always do it. When we play brilliantly, to say that, when we have lost, to take my responsibility, the first one me to do it. It's the way that I am and I have to defend my club.

"I think we have to really stand for our people, our values and who we are. And when the club has done it, it's done it in very specific moments with the right reasons, and it shows the unity and understanding that's within the club, to position ourselves in a really clear and honest way. That's our duty as a club."

The Spaniard attracted particular criticism for his rant after claiming that "mistakes happen" following Liverpool's unjust 2-1 loss to Tottenham, where a significant error saw Luis Diaz's goal wrongly ruled out for offside.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta pictured on November 1, 2023 © Reuters

When pressed on his earlier comments, Arteta simply stressed that he is trying to help create a "better game", adding: "I stand for the same words that mistakes are part of football in any other way, and we are here to constructively improve the game in everything that we can, and this is what we have been doing.

"As a club, me the individual with my duty as a manager in the managers' meeting, to give our opinion, our voices and to raise it in the most constructive ways together and [create] a better game, that's all."

Amid the officiating controversy, Arsenal lacked ingenuity in attack without the services of captain Martin Odegaard, who was ruled out with a fitness issue after coming off the bench to score a consolation against West Ham United in a 3-1 EFL Cup defeat.

Arteta admitted that he was still unsure of Odegaard's availability for the visit of Sevilla and revealed that his absence against Newcastle had nothing to do with his late appearance at the London Stadium, which was questioned at the time.

"Gabriel [Jesus] won't be fit. With Martin, it's still uncertain. The rest, no news so far," Arteta added. "It's no relation with what we had and what happened the day before the game against Newcastle; they are two different topics and things."

Arsenal sit top of Champions League Group B with six points from their opening three matches, and victory over Sevilla would guarantee them a spot in the last 16 if Lens beat basement side PSV Eindhoven.