Mikel Arteta: Arsenal 'lacked the magic to unlock the game' in Champions League exit
Arsenal's quest for a first Champions League title in club history ended two rounds shy of the goal, 1-0 losers on Wednesday and 3-2 on aggregate to an experience Bayern Munich side.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta isn't sure why his team failed to manufacture much danger in Bavaria.
[ RECAP, VIDEO: Bayern 1-0 (3-2 agg.) Arsenal ]
"I don’t know if it was about belief," Arteta said, via football.london. "The goal put them in a really good position. I saw the players. We lacked the magic to unlock the game and open that door. That’s why we are out."
The second leg had a far different feel from the Gunners' 2-2 first leg in North London last week, as Arteta's men produced just 0.43 expected goals and were blanked for the second consecutive game across all competitions.
Now the Gunners must quickly return their focus to the last trophy on offer — the Premier League Trophy. Arsenal are two points behind Manchester City with six matches left in the domestic season.
Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s Champions League exit
This was Arsenal's first Champions League run since the 2016-17 season, and it's hard to label it anything other than a success.
"Very sad and disappointed with the final result," Arteta said, via football.london. "It was a tie of very small margins. In the first leg we conceded two poor goals. Today we came here and I’m really proud of the players, especially in the first half. It was a game where you can see an error or individual brilliance would make the difference. We didn’t defend our box well enough."
Arteta also said he recognized that his job is more important now, as young Arsenal rebound from consecutive defeats, than it was while he was drawing up the recipes for long winning runs.
"What we need to do is stand right next to them, give them our support and our love."
He also said that tournaments are a process and the lack of experience showed up in moments.
"We haven’t played this game for 7 years," Arteta said. "There’s a reason for it. We want to do everything fast forward in one season. Those margins are coming from something else that we don’t have yet. Other clubs it took seven, eight or 10 years. That’s not
