Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal players are ‘really down’ after defeat to Southampton

’s players are ‘really down’ after losing a third consecutive match in the Premier League, says Mikel Arteta.

Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton at St Mary’s has followed losses to Brighton and , results which have dealt a blow to the Gunners’ chances of qualifying for the .

With Tottenham also getting beaten by Brighton on Saturday, the chance was there for Arteta’s side to make up ground on their north rivals, but they couldn’t do so.

The Gunners had chances, but couldn’t put them away, with Fraser Forster making a number of top saves in the Southampton goal.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta gave an insight into how the players are feeling after the defeat to the Saints.

‘They are really down today, and they are down because they cannot find the right answer apart from what we can do better around the box, and not to win the match,’ said Arteta in his post-match press conference.

‘That’s the frustration – when somebody is better than you you shake their hands and you have to do something, you have to believe yourself you have to be critical of yourself.

‘But when it’s happening the way it happened – apart from 25 minutes against Palace, and some period against Brighton in the first half – it’s very difficult to explain, and accept.’

When asked how he can improve Arsenal’s goal threat, Arteta replied: ‘Well something clicks and instead of the ball hitting the post – like it did twice last week and hit the goalkeeper and gets deflected and goes outside – [instead] it goes in.

‘This is very difficult to predict, because to create more – I can’t remember a game where Arsenal has played with this team, where they have created and dominated in a game more and better.

‘But the result is what at the end we need to be where we have to be, and if we are not able to do that we aren’t not going to be there – it’s as simple as that.

‘Because you don’t have enough quality to be there, because we have to win football matches and we have to score more goals, and that’s a problem we have at the moment.’

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