Arsenal of England manager, Mikel Arteta disclosed that he takes full responsibility for his side’s lackluster performance on Sunday, following a 3 – 0 home defeat to Aston Villa in the English Premier League.
The Spaniard, who only suffered his first home defeat of the season, insisted that what he saw on the pitch was far from his expectation and below the team’s standard.
The Gunners fell behind through Bukayo Saka’s own goal in the 25th minutes.
Arsenal’s chances to equalize slipped away after Alexandre Lacazette, Rob Holding and Nicolas Pepe made a waste of them in front of goal.
The Gunners got punished in the end as Watkins brace in the second half moved Aston Villa up to sixth in the Premier League table heading into the international break.
“I don’t feel like we were the team we supposed to be. We performed below our standards, our ability. I didn’t see the spirit for the first time since I’m here that I’ve seen every day in training, every day when we compete,” Arteta said, disappointment heavy in his voice.
He went on, “This is totally my fault because it’s why I’m here. I’m responsible for that to make sure the team performs at the highest level every three days and today I haven’t managed to do that and it’s my fault.
Matters got worse for Arsenal, when £45million summer signing Thomas Partey was forced off at half-time with a suspected thigh injury.
Reacting to question on how bad the injury could be, “We don’t know. We have to scan it tomorrow or the day after. He felt his thigh after 10 minutes and let’s see what the magnitude of the injury is.”
The Ghanaian has received accolades following his arrival at the Emirates this summer, having put up a stellar performance in his first games for the club.
