Mikel Arteta appreciates the pressure is always on at Arsenal as he prepares his squad for a pivotal game against Benfica that will shape the remainder of their season.

Arsenal go into the second leg against their Portuguese opponents with the Europa League last-32 tie delicately balanced following a 1-1 draw in Rome. 

The English club did grab an away goal in the first meeting, though are without the benefit of home advantage for the return fixture. Due to coronavirus travel restrictions, the game is to be played in Greece. 

Out of both domestic cups and languishing down in 10th place in the Premier League, Europe offers the Gunners their last chance of success in Arteta's first full season in charge. 

"I always feel that it (pressure) is [on me], every time you're playing in a competition and you can go out you know the consequences and with this club [the aim] is always to win the competition that you are in, so that doesn't really change much," Arteta said.

"It's a big season and a really important [game], mentally and confidence-wise.  

"It's going to dictate if we're in another competition or not for a few more weeks. This is really what we need. It's a really tough opponent.  

"It's a Champions League team who have been playing in these types of games for many years with a manager with huge experience. For us, it's a final."

With an 11-point gap to fourth-placed West Ham and just 13 games remaining, it seems improbable that Arsenal can qualify for next season's Champions League through the domestic route. 

The Europa League, therefore, takes on added importance. They have won on each of their previous two visits to Greece as well, albeit both against Olympiacos, including a victory in this same competition a year ago. 

"I think while mathematically everything is possible, in football you have to try so hard," Arteta said. "We're going to do that in the league for sure.

"It's true that the Europa League gives you a completely different route and is a competition that we want to carry on playing, and try to win it.  

"Tomorrow is another opportunity to make a step forward. The better we are in the Europa League, the better we're going to be performing in the league and vice-versa. We need to be alive in both competitions."

Arteta revealed Thomas Partey is "very close" to a return from a hamstring injury, meaning the midfielder could feature against Benfica. Rob Holding, however, is ruled out due concussion protocols. 

Paul Merson says seeing Arsenal so far behind the top teams in the Premier League and not believing they can beat them has become "hard to watch". 

The Gunners were defeated 1-0 at Emirates Stadium by runaway league leaders Manchester City on Sunday. 

City were not at their brilliant best and Merson felt the match was another example where Arsenal's players did not believe they could beat a top side when a result was there for the taking. 

Arsenal are 10th in the table and two-time league winner Merson believes they have a long road ahead to be competitive again. 

"I can't see Arsenal doing anything between now and the end of the season to get into the top four," he told Sky Sports. 

"I played at Arsenal for a good number of years a long time ago and it is just a phenomenal football club. It's a Rolls Royce of a football club but when you look where they are now, it's just hard to watch. 

"Man City used to be a million miles away and talk about turning things on its head, they are so far ahead of Arsenal.  

"The only thing that can give you hope if you are an Arsenal fan is that you can watch City and think things can turn around. 

"I was so disappointed. It's so easy for me to sit and say Arsenal should have had a right go at Man City because I know you can end up losing 4-0 or 5-0, and then it looks an awful result.  

"But if you look at Arsenal's performance, they looked out of their depth and that was really worrying. 

"When they got to 75 minutes and were only a goal down, they had to have a right go. But it looked like the players just didn't have that belief. 

"It seems a long time ago now and it was a long time ago that Arsenal had that. They had that fear factor for teams playing them. I found it a really hard watch."

Merson advised Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to focus on the Europa League, with their last-32 tie against Benfica evenly poised at 1-1 ahead of the second leg. 

Discussing the task at hand to revive the team, he added: "It's a real massive rebuild job at Emirates Stadium and I think it's going to take a long, long time.  

"That's unless they've got some money from somewhere and they have a right go, but we've seen Chelsea have a right go and look where they are.  

"We are talking about whether they will get in the top four and that was a lot of money, so there are no guarantees. 

"It's a really hard one to take for Arsenal at the moment." 

Pep Guardiola revealed he is learning from his former assistant Mikel Arteta, despite Manchester City overcoming Arsenal on Sunday.

City's storming form continued as they sealed an 18th straight victory in all competitions – making it 13 wins from their last 13 games in the league – thanks to Raheem Sterling's early goal.

The visitors started in superb fashion at Emirates Stadium though failed to keep up the blistering pace. Arsenal, however, managed only one attempt on target despite some promising flashes.

Guardiola's team are 10 points clear at the top of the table, and 25 ahead of 10th-place Arsenal, who have lost their last eight league games against City, their joint-longest run of consecutive league defeats against an opponent, along with an eight-game run versus Leeds United between 1973 and 1976.

Arsenal have lost their last four Premier League games against City without scoring a goal – the first time in their history they have failed to find the net in four consecutive home league games against an opponent – but Guardiola nevertheless hailed the skills of Arteta.

"Mikel knows everything. He is so good. It is not because he is my friend or because today I beat him," Guardiola told Sky Sports.

"I know what he planned, know how he works. He is so clever. I learn a lot by watching his team. Today I learned something, I can use it in the future.

"It's not because we were together – he knows everything about football."

For his part, Arteta was left frustrated by a tactical error from his team in the opening stages, which resulted in City having four attempts – including the goal – by the eighth minute.

"Absolutely [the start cost us]. We conceded the first goal, it's a really difficult situation, it puts the game exactly where they wanted," Arteta told Sky Sports.

"I think after that, the team reacted really well, we were on top of the game, tried to generate chances, momentum but we lacked the quality.

"We got something [tactical] wrong, we talked about something and then didn't do it in the first five or 10 minutes and they used the overloads down the side. It's a cross from [Riyad] Mahrez – you know where it is going – Sterling cannot head that ball in the middle of the goal. 

"The moment we clicked, we did what we prepared, they found it difficult. We found really good spaces but when we were there, in the final third, we lacked the final pass."

City may have been unable to add to their lead – Joao Cancelo wasting an opportunity late on – but still remained relatively untroubled at the back as they earned a 15th clean sheet in the Premier League this season, the most by a team after 25 games of a top-flight campaign since 2008-09.

Their winning run stretches back to December 15, and a 1-1 home draw with struggling West Brom.

Since that game, City have faced just 78 shots in the league – 21 lower than any other team (Liverpool – 99), and only 23 of those have been on target, while they have made just two errors leading to an effort on their goal.

"It was hard like we expected it to be. It is difficult to play against Arsenal, Mikel is so difficult," Guardiola said.

"That's why I give incredible credit to this victory. It's Arsenal away. We need to win these types of games. People think that 13 wins in a row, 18 victories in a row looks easy.

"It is so difficult. Look across all of Europe. The consistency in this last month, honestly I didn't expect it. More than grateful for the players and what they are doing, but winning these games 1-0, that is when we need to realise that everything is so difficult."

Kevin De Bruyne was handed his first start since January 20 as Pep Guardiola was also able to welcome Ilkay Gundogan back from injury for Manchester City's clash with Arsenal.

Having suffered a hamstring injury in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa last month, De Bruyne came on as a substitute to help Premier League leaders City beat Everton 3-1 on Wednesday.

City won that rearranged fixture at Goodison Park without Gundogan, who had stepped up in De Bruyne's absence.

The Germany international scored twice and won a penalty in City's 3-0 win over Spurs last weekend but later sustained a minor groin injury.

Both De Bruyne and Gundogan – who has scored nine league goals since the turn of the year – were named in Guardiola's line up for the meeting with the Gunners, managed by former City assistant Mikel Arteta.

Phil Foden, who scored against Everton, made way, along with Gabriel Jesus, seemingly accommodating De Bruyne's place in a false nine role he has occupied in several matches this term, with Sergio Aguero again only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench.

Guardiola made five changes in all, welcoming back captain Fernandinho, centre-back John Stones and full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Meanwhile, Arsenal were boosted by the return of Kieran Tierney from injury. The left-back had been absent from the XI since January 18.

Arteta also made five changes from Arsenal's 4-2 win over Leeds United last week,

Tierney's introduction was one of five changes from Arteta compared to the side that started in the 4-2 win over Leeds United last week, with Pablo Mari and Rob Holding forming a new centre-back pairing.

Mohamed Elneny and Nicolas Pepe - the latter replacing Emile Smith Rowe - were also brought in.

Martin Odegaard has the character and intelligence to be a true leader for Arsenal, according to manager Mikel Arteta.

The 22-year-old has made four appearances since joining on loan from Real Madrid, where he struggled for starts, in the January transfer window.

He caught the eye in Thursday's 1-1 draw against Benfica in the Europa League, with no Arsenal player creating more big chances (two) than the midfielder, level with Hector Bellerin.

Odegaard also led the way for passes in the opposition half (29) and tackles (three), highlighting two different aspects to the Norway international's game.

Arteta has been impressed by what he has seen so far and has backed the loanee to grow in stature over the coming weeks.

"On the pitch he is showing a lot of character and intelligence - ingredients any leader should have," Arteta said. "He's been here a very short time but has adapted really quickly.

"He's gaining more and more respect from the players and staff. I think his weight on the team will increase week in week out."

Odegaard, who has previously spent time on loan with Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad, is due to return to Madrid at the end of the campaign.

There has been talk of Arsenal signing the Stromsgodset player permanently, but Arteta remains unsure if Madrid will agree to a transfer.

"We've got him for a few months. We have to maximise this time with him to bring all his qualities to the team," the Spaniard said.

"At the end of the season we will see together if we can take this relationship forward. But at the moment that doesn't just depend on us."

Odegaard is in line to start Arsenal's clash against Manchester City on Sunday, with the Gunners seeking to end a seven-match Premier League losing run in this fixture.

The game will see Arteta reunite with Pep Guardiola, who he worked under as City's assistant boss for three and a half years before switching to Arsenal in December 2019.

Although Arteta acknowledged he shares many coaching similarities with Guardiola, the Arsenal boss intends to do things his own way at Emirates Stadium.

"You can share some values and ideas. The way we've been raised and educated in football is similar because we have the same background and worked together," Arteta said.

"But what do you do to make it work the way you need? You sometimes need investment, sometimes you have players who can already provide what you want. 

"You have to keep evolving and finding a way. There's not just one formula that works. If you try to do that you will fail."

Arsenal have won just three of their last 18 league games against the side starting the day in top spot, which is the position occupied by City heading into Sunday's match.

Pep Guardiola insists he has had no significant influence over Mikel Arteta's fledgling managerial career.

Arteta spent three and a half seasons working as one of Guardiola's assistants at Manchester City before leaving to take the top job at Arsenal in December 2019.

City travel to Emirates Stadium on Sunday looking to extend their record-breaking winning run of 17 matches in all competitions.

Thursday's 1-1 draw against Benfica in the Europa League means Arsenal have only won once in their past five games but Guardiola nevertheless expects a tough test from his former understudy, who he does not believe has been getting much luck of late.

"What I see the last month or two months, every game Arsenal plays better than the opponent," he said.

"Our dream as managers is to deserve the results. We play to deserve what we want to get. Sometimes you lose or you win, you cannot control.

"What we want to deserve he is doing and in the games over the  last month, always they are better than the opponent – analysis in terms of controlling the game, creating more chances and conceding few.

"We must have an incredible performance to play as good as possible with the ball and run a lot in the right tempo to get the ball because they have an exceptional build-up already.

"In the final third they have incredible energy with [Emile] Smith [Rowe], [Bukayo] Saka and [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang.

"In the future they will be a real contender to fight for the titles."

Despite such ambitions being a constant of Guardiola's career, he does not feel his influence is prominent in the work of a man who overcame him in last season's FA Cup semi-final.

"He doesn't need help. He is more than well prepared than to get help from me," he said.

"He is an important person in my life. We had a lot of contact in or period here in Manchester

"Everything going well for him makes me happy."

Guardiola added: "No, I didn't inspire him. What he knows he knows for himself.

"I'm not, absolutely in this case, any influence. What he is doing is all the credit for him and his backroom staff."

A look at some of the Opta data behind the two teams' performances this season backs up Guardiola's assertion that Arteta is not simply building a replica of City in north London.

City's patient build-up play is a hallmark of Guardiola's style and their 582 open-play sequences with 10 or more passes is almost 100 more than the next highest team in the division on this metric (Chelsea 493).

Arsenal are fifth in terms of such passages of play behind Liverpool and Manchester United, although their 338 is a significant drop on the numbers City's domination of matches has allowed them to rack up.

Similarly, when it comes to build-up attacks – sequences of 10 or more passes that end in a shot – City are top of the pile with 141, while Arsenal's 73 is once again fifth best.

When Guardiola teams are playing well, it generally follows that they are pressing very well. For high turnovers – those sequences that start 40 metres or less from an opponent's goal – only Liverpool (227) fare better than City (224) this term.

Arsenal are 10th in the league with 160, while they allow opponents 13.7 passes per defensive action on average, compared to City's 11.9, which further suggests a more aggressive pressing approach from Guardiola's men.

Mikel Arteta warned Arsenal must be more ruthless after they had to settle for a 1-1 Europa League round of 32 draw with Benfica in the first leg at Stadio Olimpico.

Bukayo Saka equalised just over two minutes after Pizzi had opened the scoring from the penalty spot, with Emile Smith Rowe punished for handling a Diogo Goncalves cross in the second half in Rome on Thursday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inexplicably wasted a glorious chance to put the Gunners in front in the first half and the captain missed another couple of opportunities five days after scoring a hat-trick against Leeds United.

Saka's away goal in the first of two legs played at neutral venues due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions gives the Premier League club a slight advantage.

Arsenal boss Arteta was frustrated that his side were so wasteful, though, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the second leg at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens next Thursday.

"We were very dominant and created some big chances," he told BT Sport. "We have to be more ruthless.

"It was disappointing the way we conceded the goal. We gave them the ball then it was 1-1 and all to play for.

"We conceded a corner then, from the corner, we did not react quick enough and conceded the penalty. Looking at it, it's difficult to judge. We had a great reaction and scored a great goal.

"We tried to maintain the level. Both teams dropped in the last 20 minutes, but overall we should leave the ground with more."

Saka knows Arsenal have little margin for error after the 19-year-old became the youngest Premier League player to have scored 10 or more goals and provided at least 10 assists since the start of last season.

The versatile England international said: "It is about managing the game. Last year when we went out to Olympiakos we conceded a silly goal. We can't put a foot wrong because if we do we will make it difficult for ourselves."

Mikel Arteta described criticism of Willian as "normal" after the Brazilian came under fire from Arsenal legend Tony Adams. 

Willian has made 18 Premier League appearances for the Gunners since joining the club on a free transfer from Chelsea, though he has struggled to produce his best form and has yet to score a goal for Arsenal. 

In contrast, 19-year-old winger Bukayo Saka has netted five times in 21 league appearances this season, while 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe has impressed in midfield, prompting Adams to question the club's decision to bring in Willian, as well as the more recent arrival of Martin Odegaard in the January window. 

Arteta admitted there is pressure on Willian to perform, saying of the criticism from Adams: "I don't say it's unfair. 

"The expectations of Willian and the goals he can score, the assists he can create. It's normal that people will write things about him. 

"We have to protect him as much as we can." 

Adams also took aim at Odegaard, suggesting the Premier League club did not need to bring in the Norwegian playmaker, particularly given the recent emergence of Smith Rowe. 

However, Arteta is backing the 22-year-old acquisition from Real Madrid to succeed during his loan spell, saying: "He's got the potential [to become one of the best] because he's done it. 

"I followed him very closely when he was at Real Sociedad and he was impressive for long periods. That's why I was so convinced he could be a player for us." 

Arsenal face Benfica in the Europa League round of 32 on Thursday, with the competition appearing to present their best route to qualifying for next season's Champions League. 

Both legs of the tie will be played in neutral venues due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, meaning Arsenal travel to Rome for the 'away' leg on Thursday. 

Arteta underlined his side's determination not to let the setting affect their progress, saying: "It's very unusual but as much as we can we must try to maintain the integrity of the competition." 

Mikel Arteta affirmed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's importance to Arsenal, insisting having the striker at his best is vital to the future of the club.

Aubameyang marked his first Premier League start since January 18 with his first hat-trick in the competition, surpassing 200 goals in Europe's top five leagues in the process as Arsenal beat Leeds United 4-2 on Sunday.

Having opened the scoring 13 minutes in, Aubameyang doubled his tally from the spot – the goal which saw him become the ninth player to score 200 times across Europe's elite divisions since his Ligue 1 debut in 2009.

Hector Bellerin added a well-crafted third before Aubameyang completed his hat-trick two minutes into the second half, though Pascal Struijk and Helder Costa hit back to give Arsenal a fright.

It was the first time Arteta's team have scored four times in a league game at Emirates Stadium since July last season, and after what has been a stop-start season for Aubameyang – due to injury issues and personal reasons – the Gunners' boss reiterated the 31-year-old's importance.

"I thought he was superb today, he has been training really good the last week or so, he looked back to normal," Arteta told a news conference.

"He looked really committed in training, really hungry and today he had a great performance, not only for the goals but the way he worked without the ball and the way he worked every Leeds defender, he set the tone.

"We know that a big part of our future success is related to Auba being at his best and scoring as many goals as possible.

"If he is in that type of form we are going to be closer to winning football matches, that is for sure – we cannot just rely on him but he is a big piece of our puzzle and you saw today that when he is firing he is a difficult player to play against."

With Alexandre Lacazette on the bench, Aubameyang started in his preferred central role on Sunday and duly delivered the goods.

The former Borussia Dortmund star had a game-high five attempts, with three of them on target, and another one hitting the crossbar late on.

He also created two chances, behind only Leeds' Raphinha (three), and Arteta was delighted that his decision to play Aubameyang through the middle proved fruitful.

"We have the options depending on the game and the options and the area we want to explore," he added. "I thought it could be a good option today and it worked well."

Thomas Partey's injury problems since joining Arsenal have taken a toll on the midfielder, according to manager Mikel Arteta.

Partey joined the Gunners for £45million from Atletico Madrid in October and appeared a perfect answer to a problem position in the midfield engine room.

However, a hip issue meant he was restricted to four Premier League starts before the turn of the year and was forced off at half-time during the latter of those.

He returned to start in five consecutive league matches from mid-January onwards but the 27-year-old Ghana international sustained a hamstring injury during last weekend's 1-0 loss at Aston Villa.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's match against Leeds United at Emirates Stadium, Arteta conceded Partey's latest setback is more serious than first anticipated.

"It is a difficult one, he felt something during the game and we didn't think it was too bad but after the scan looked a little bit worse," he said.

"He won't be available to play against Leeds and we will see how it evolves in the next two days, but it is a muscular issue.

"He was devastated, we were all devastated because we know the importance of Thomas and we haven't had him since we signed him.

"I think he has only played 90 minutes once since he has come back from injury, so it is a big blow for us.

"But he is adapting to the league, he has been very unlucky as well and he is very frustrated because he is a very competitive guy who wants to feel important and be important for the team.

"At the moment the injuries are restricting a lot of game time for him."

Kieran Tierney is also out of the Leeds match, but the Scotland defender at least has light at the end of the tunnel following a knee sprain and is expected back in training next week.

"We have to see how the knee reacts when he starts to get a bit more load," Arteta explained.

"He hasn't had much left but he is very positive at the moment, he is in good spirits and he is desperate to get back in the team and we will see in the next few days.

"The moment he starts to train with the team [we will] see how he is feeling and how he reacts."

Nicolas Pepe was sent off when the sides drew 0-0 at Elland Road earlier in the season but the club-record signing has had a better time of things lately, scoring in each of the recent trips to Southampton and Wolves.

"Again, he can maintain that level now for months, not weeks," Arteta said, although he feels the improvement by the former Lille winger is clear to see.

"I think there has been a click with him, even in his mentality, how he's approaching every training session, the importance of every action in the game and how he can sustain his focus and his determination during games.

"I really like his attitude. What he's done in the last few weeks I think it's been much better.

"He still has a lot of room to improve and grow and he's willing to do that so I'm expecting him to go to the next level very soon."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed he received threats to his family on social media and called for more to be done to protect those in football from abuse.

Footballers being subjected to vile messages online has become an increasingly prominent issue over recent weeks, with Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Chelsea's Reece James among those to have been racially abused.

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce explained he had received death threats via social media and referee Mike Dean has been stood down from Premier League action this weekend after his family were abused.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's match against Leeds United at Emirates Stadium, Arteta stated he had been placed in a similarly grim position.

"I prefer not to read it, but we're all exposed to it in this industry," he said, in a week when the Premier League launched its No Room for Racism Action Plan.

"That's why I prefer not to read because it would affect me personally much more [but] in the moment someone wants to touch my family. Because it happened, the club was aware of it and tried to do something about it.

"That's it, we have to live with it. It's not going to stop tomorrow, we know that. But medium, long-term can we do something about it? That's what I'm pushing for.

"It's part of the job. I'm not the only one who is suffering these kind of things. When you're winning, everything is beautiful and you are incredible, you are the best coach.

"When you lose it's completely the opposite. It's not pleasant. When it goes personal against me, I can take it. When the family is involved it's a different story. We are lucky that the club was very supportive when those things happened."

Arsenal have spoken to their players to offer support given the realities of the current climate and Arteta also offered his backing to Dean.

"Of course, we've spoken internally about the players and given them advice to try and protect them as much as possible," he said.

"The incident that occurred a few days ago with Mike Dean was completely unacceptable and we should stand with Mike and the referee community.

"They have an incredibly difficult role at the moment in the league, with a lot of key decisions that affect teams one way or another.

"They try to do their best, they prepare in the best possible way and we all make mistakes. We have to support them."

Asked whether he still went on his own social media platforms, Arteta replied: "No. If we were reading everything written about us probably we'd have to stay in bed a lot of days.

"It's part of it. I think it's great that people have so many platforms and ways to communicate and give their opinions.

"The only thing I'm asking is to be respectful. You don't have to battle anybody or try to hurt anybody, just give your opinion with the best intentions.

"When it's constructive everybody can take criticism. It's part of our job to look at it and think and reflect on it.

"When people do it with the intention of hurting, that's when it becomes a little bit silly in my opinion.

"It's just about finding that balance. I think there are things we can do to protect the industry a little bit better."

UEFA has announced the second leg of Arsenal's Europa League round-of-32 tie against Benfica will be played at Olympiacos' Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis.

The first leg has already been moved to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, also in response to coronavirus restrictions.

William Saliba has cast further doubt on his time at Arsenal by claiming he was judged by manager Mikel Arteta after just two-and-a-half matches before being loaned to Nice.

The 19-year-old joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in July 2019 for a reported £27million (€29.7m) fee and remained with the Ligue 1 side for the 2019-20 season.

He returned to Emirates Stadium ahead of this season but was surprisingly left out of Arsenal's Europa League squad and did not make a single appearance in other competitions.

Saliba departed for Nice on loan last month for the remainder of the campaign and last week admitted to being "hurt" over his lack of playing time with Arsenal.

And the centre-back, who was brought to north London during Unai Emery's time in charge, has now taken another apparent swipe at Arteta.

"It is clear that so much has changed in the last year," Saliba told RMC. "When I saw that the coach changed, a lot changed for me too. In this year there has been a lot of change. He judged me on two-and-a-half matches. 

"I would have liked for him to play me more. But he told me I wasn't ready. I was waiting for him to give me a chance, but football is like that. 

"When I initially came to Arsenal the league looked very good so I showed up to training and wanted to train on my own to show the coach I was ready.

"I am happy now, I want to play for Nice. The idea when you're part of a team is a better feeling for me."

Saliba has impressed during his short time back in France and was last week named Nice's Player of the Month for January.

The France Under-20s international has started seven Ligue 1 games since joining last month, including the full 90 minutes of Sunday's 3-0 win over Angers.

He led the way for Nice in that game for total passes (64), successful passes (58) and touches (82), while no player on the pitch cleared the ball more often (eight times).

Indeed, since making his Nice debut on January 6, only Jose Fonte (439), Steven Nzonzi (472), Sven Botman (487) and Marco Verratti (489) have completed more Ligue 1 passes than Saliba's 437.

Mikel Arteta condemned Arsenal's repeated mistakes after another damaging defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Gunners' seven match unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end at Wolves in midweek when both David Luiz and Bernd Leno were sent off.

And another loss swiftly followed against Villa after Cedric Soares gifted the only goal of the game to the home side, Ollie Watkins netting a scruffy effort from Bertrand Traore's centre.

Cedric's mistake was the sole error leading to a shot in the entire match, but it was a costly one.

Arsenal had 66.3 per cent of the possession and 14 shots to Villa's 12 yet only troubled the target three times, failing to create a single big chance from which Opta would expect the visitors to score.

Arteta told BBC Sport that Arsenal "controlled every department" but Villa were "better in the boxes".

In his post-match news conference, the Arsenal manager reiterated his displeasure at his team's continued sloppiness - including a league-high five red cards this term.

"Those [top] teams cannot make those mistakes," Arteta said. "Those teams cannot play, in the first 22 games of the season, four or five times with 10 men.

"It doesn't happen. There is not a team in the world that can sustain that.

"Still, if you make an error or concede a goal early, the team has to react; the team reacted and we had more than enough to come back and still win the game.

"If you don't do one [keep goals out], you have to do the other [score goals].

"If you don't do either of them when you have the chances and you are not ruthless enough in the opponents' box, unfortunately you lose the game."

Another defeat left Arsenal nine points off the top four having played a game more.

Arteta added: "It's a big blow. Considering the performances we put in in both games [this week], we got zero points.

"We have to come back. We've done it this season; we have to do it again."

Arteta was visibly frustrated by refereeing decisions as Ezri Konsa avoided a red card for bringing down Bukayo Saka, while Emi Martinez appeared to tug Alexandre Lacazette's shirt in the area.

He refused to discuss the incidents in his news conference, though, telling BBC Sport: "Regardless of what the referee did today, we should win the game comfortably."

Nicolas Pepe is playing his best football since arriving at Arsenal for a club-record fee in 2019 and has been challenged to maintain his form by Mikel Arteta.

Ivory Coast international Pepe struggled to  a regular place in the starting line-up after returning from a three-match Premier League ban for headbutting Ezgjan Alioski in a 0-0 draw at Leeds United in November.

He was restored to the first XI for the FA Cup fourth-round meeting with Southampton after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was ruled out for personal reasons and has started delivering the sort of performances that were expected following his £72million arrival from Lille 18 months ago.

Although Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Southampton, Pepe had five chances created – two more than the rest of his team-mates combined. It was the third time he has supplied that many key passes in a single game in all competitions this season, after producing eight against Rapid Vienna and Molde in the Europa League.

He then scored in a 3-1 win over the Saints in the Premier League, before creating three chances in a 0-0 draw against Manchester United. He also found the back of the net and produced one key pass in an hour on the pitch during the 2-1 loss to Wolves on Tuesday.

Prior to his recent run, Pepe had just two goals and two chances created across the entirety of the Premier League season.

With Aubameyang available again, Arteta urged the winger to keep producing high-quality displays on a consistent basis as Arsenal look to improve from 10th in the Premier League and bridge the nine-point gap to the top four.

"The performance that he puts overall in all the facets of the game, I think it's the best he's played, and his contribution to those aspects is the best he's done," said Arteta ahead of Saturday's meeting with Aston Villa.

"He needs to sustain that. When you have moments in football, when you have to earn the right to play, you cannot lose it.

"In order to do that you have to do the basics right and keep doing what you're doing. If you don't then someone's going to be knocking at your door."

He added: "I don't know how much he wants, but he needs guidance and he needs clarity in what he needs to do.

"Then he needs the discipline on the pitch to do what he needs to do and obviously he needs the freedom in certain moments to express himself as a player, and you cannot restrict that."

Arteta was also encouraged by the performance of Thomas Partey against Wolves, though he would like to see the midfielder provide more of a threat going forward.

"Obviously that's the reason we signed him, because we believed we needed a player like him, to impose himself in games and give us that dominance and that steel that he brings to the game," said Arteta.

"We have to see more of him, more minutes and more games and slowly get partnerships and unity and chemistry around the team. He needs to be one of our leaders.

"He had a shot the other night when he should have passed the ball, so he needs to shoot when it's the right moment to shoot, but he's got that ability to get in the opponent's box as well and run forwards with or without the ball and have that presence.

"At Atletico Madrid he scored a few goals really good goals and that's something he needs to do more."

Granit Xhaka says Arsenal are "bound for glory" under Mikel Arteta and can even achieve something significant this season.

Arteta replaced Unai Emery in December 2019 and finished the season as an FA Cup winner, though the Gunners only finished eighth in the Premier League.

Prior to a 2-1 loss to Wolves on Tuesday, which they finished with nine men after red cards for David Luiz and Bernd Leno, Arsenal had gone seven Premier League games unbeaten.

That came after a run of seven top-flight matches without a win, but Xhaka is confident Arteta has them on the path to success.

"We had the run without wins but even during that time, I think we have played without any self-doubt," Xhaka told The Guardian.

"Our mistakes, like the red cards – my own included [against Burnley in December] – have been the fault of each of us rather than one with the plan.

"As a collective, we've been functioning well and we can do something special, including this season. We are playing a very tight, compact game of late and we are also gleaning a lot of respect from the other big teams we are playing. I think we are bound for glory."

Arteta honed his craft as a coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Xhaka has been impressed by the amount of attention the Gunners boss pays to preparation.

"Mikel is an unbelievably good coach who puts a huge amount of detail into his work," said Xhaka.

"We have individual discussions for every match, a plan about what is expected for that game. He even hands out an individual match plan to each player. We are always very well prepared for our opponents.

"The individual work he does with every player – that's the trick. And after the match, there is a very detailed analysis of what’s been done. Who was where.

"As far as the opponents go, we work on our offensive line, where every person should stand and this detail is a huge advantage for me. Also, when you're without the ball, it gives you a great advantage for the anticipation of the opponents' moves."

Xhaka has managed to resurrect his Arsenal career, having been on the brink of leaving for Hertha Berlin after turning on booing fans when he was substituted during a Premier League game against Crystal Palace. The Switzerland international was dropped from the team and stripped of the captaincy following the incident.

"I took a big knock, I was quite wounded by the experience," said Xhaka.

"Hertha made contact, I discussed it with Arsenal and there were only a few details to complete for me to make that move. However, then Mikel arrived and we spoke. He wanted to hear my side of the story.

"I have to say it was the first time I had met him; I had no prior knowledge of him as a man or a coach. But we had a really great one-to-one chat – very open, very positive, very long. He looked deep into me, into my thinking, and he persuaded me that we should go on together, stick with each other on this Arsenal project. I am happy that I made the decision."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.