Mikel Arteta felt Bayern Munich’s know-how and experience ultimately proved decisive as Arsenal were left to ponder their Champions League exit.
The Gunners lost 1-0 at the Allianz Arena last night to go out 3-2 on aggregate – Joshua Kimmich scoring the only goal of the quarter-final, second leg.
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There was very little to separate the sides across the two games but Bayern’s greater nous in high-pressure situations meant they progressed through to a semi-final clash with Real Madrid.
Arteta said: “We haven’t played this competition for seven years and we haven’t been in this stage for 14 years. There’s a reason for it.
“We want to do everything fast-forward, super-quick, in one season. I think we have the capacity and the quality to be in the semi-final because the margins are very small.
“Those margins are coming from something else that maybe we don’t have yet. We have to learn it.
“When you look historically, it took other clubs seven, eight or 10 years to do it. Today, that’s not going to make us feel better that’s for sure.”
A Champions League journey to be proud of ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6dyWWTlah7
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 17, 2024
There is little time for Arsenal to wallow as they return to action in the Premier League at Wolves on Saturday. Arteta’s men are chasing their first league title in 20 years although Sunday’s defeat to Aston Villa means there is little margin for error.
He added: “[The pain] is there. It’s not going to go away certainly tonight but I can guarantee you by tomorrow we’re fully focused on Wolves and everybody is lifted.
“What I need to do is stand right next to them and give them support and our love and we have to pick it up because on Saturday we have a big, big game.
“We are still playing for the Premier League. The Premier League is there and we really want it. We have to show now that we are capable of turning this around.”
