“I shouldn’t have played him yesterday, I’ve learned my lesson”: Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta regrets playing ONE Arsenal’s player who was just poor against Sunderland yesterday

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta bemoaned the end of his side’s winning run in a performance against Sunderland which was “not in our standards” according to the unimpressed Spanish coach.

In the space of 90 gruelling minutes at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening, Arsenal conceded as many goals as they had shipped since the end of August (two). Former Gunners academy graduate Dan Ballard broke the deadlock in a frustrating first half for the visitors, ending a run of 881 minutes without conceding.

Sunderland had pre-empted Ballard’s strike, which came from the breakdown at a long free kick punted into Arsenal’s box, with a near identical move moments earlier. The adventurous centre back made the most of his second opportunity, evading Declan Rice to crash a volley beneath David Raya’s crossbar.

It was a “really special” moment for Ballard, who came through Arsenal’s youth team and comes from a family littered with fans of the north London outfit, and a really painful one for Arteta.

The Gunners boss felt “a pain in my tummy” at the end of his side’s clean sheet streak. “They did really well and we conceded a goal that is not in our standards,” Arteta fumed. “We can defend the action better and today we haven’t done it; we conceded the goal.”

Arsenal regrouped at the interval and hauled themselves in front courtesy of goals from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard. Yet, another moment of chaos in the box, sparked by Ballard’s flick-on, allowed Brian Brobbey to snatch a stoppage-time equaliser.

“The last feeling is disappointment and frustration because we wanted the three points,” Arteta sighed in his postmatch press conference. “Of course it hurts, especially when it costs you points. We know that we have to do better, and even though we’re conceding goals, there are things that we have to improve on the ball. I always mention that, and that’s it. Learn from the past and get back.”

Arteta’s Half-Time Instruction to Inspire Turnaround

There was no Churchillian speech from Arteta at the half-time interval in the bowels of the Stadium of Light. His message was simple: win your individual battles.

Riccardo Calafiori relayed the succinct team talk to Arsenal’s official website: “[Arteta] just said that we needed to basically win our duels and then from there we could start to play our game, so that’s what we did.”

The numbers don’t quite support Calafiori’s recollection. Arsenal won 57% of all duels in the first half on Saturday before that ratio dropped to 52% in the second 45 minutes. Sunderland’s equaliser came specifically from the Gunners losing two duels in rapid succession.

“I think you would have seen on the pitch in the second half, I think we deserved it, we played better than them and just in one action you concede, and you draw the game, but this is the level,” Calafiori glumly concluded.