Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal team to find the missing ingredient in the Champions League and end their year-long run without a win on the road.
Arsenal go into Tuesday’s match against Portuguese champions Sporting CP in 12th place in the league phase, two points off the top eight places that guarantee automatic qualification into the last 16. They have only won once in their last eight European away ties, the last coming against Sevilla in October last year.
Goals have been their biggest issue in that run as they are without one in any of their last four away matches as they struggle to create in either of last season’s knock-out ties with Porto and Bayern Munich or this year’s group stage visits to Atalanta and Inter.
“It’s certainly something we have to improve,” Arteta said ahead of the trip to Portugal.
“I think we have made the right steps and looking back with the way we played against Inter — which is a team that has been so dominant in their league, reached the final of the Champions League which they should have won. To play and dominate that game.
“But the reality is that you have to make it happen and we didn’t. Making those steps is what we have to do next. Be ruthless, be efficient in the opposition box and do what we have to do to take the three points away from here.”
Arteta reached his 250th game in charge of the club in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, which took him past both George Graham and Arsene Wenger’s tally. But in analysing his team’s recent struggles on the road in Europe he does not see a clear pattern.
“Not all the games have been the same,” Arteta added. “It’s true that within those games there were games that were when we had already qualified. Something that is very true is that we have to improve those results and we have to find ways to understand what has been missing.
“Sometimes it’s been performance sometimes it’s been other aspects. That’s the next step we have to make as a team.”
Arsenal only returned to the Champions League last season after a seven-year hiatus.
For many of the players, as well as Arteta, it is only their 15th game at this level but the Arsenal manager does not buy into the idea that they are still searching for the right balance of being tight defensively while still carrying a threat in attack.
“I wouldn’t say that this is the most important thing but the efficiency that we have shown inside the box at this level with the chances that we are normally able to generate in the Champions League level, is not at the level required to win consistently,” he tated.
“I always say the Champions League is about boxes, small margins and details. You have to get all of those right to win, especially away from home.”
Arsenal lost to Sporting on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Europa League two seasons ago and Arteta believes both teams have improved since then.
“It’s always a good exercise to see the team a few years back,” Arteta said. “I watched both games back to have understanding of what worked and what didn’t in order to prepare. It’s difficult to recognise the team two years later.
“You tend to see and look at the game and other stuff in a different way but it was good. It feels like it’s been a lot longer in way. But here we are again. The good news is that we are in a different competition – a competition where we really want to be and be dominant. This is what we’re looking for.”
(Top photo: Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)
