"Sometimes, just be humble in defeat" - Pundit calls out Mikel Arteta for his reaction after Arsenal's loss to PSG in UCL SF
Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to be modest in defeat. The comment came following the Gunners' UEFA Champions League elimination to Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
Following a 1-0 home loss in the first leg last week, Arteta's side needed to win at the Parc des Princes to progress to their first Champions League final since 2006. Instead, the hosts doubled their aggregate advantage through Fabian Ruiz in the 27th minute before Achraf Hakimi ended the game as a contest 18 minutes from time.
Although Bukayo Saka bagged the Gunners' only goal of the tie four minutes later, it was too little too late as Luis Enrique's side booked a final showdown with Inter Milan.
Analysing Arteta's post-match reaction, Agbonlahor told talkSPORT (via GOAL):
"I think Arteta's got to be careful with the way he's speaking sometimes. He's talking about the last two seasons, 'we've got this amount of points and that amount of points we got would have been enough to win the league this year, Arsenal are the best team in Europe... '
"Sometimes, just be humble in defeat. The better team won over two legs, by far the better team for me. PSG are the best team in the competition, there's no shame in saying 'we fell short, we'll come again next season."
The Gunners are set to end another season without major silverware, while the Parisians move on to a Champions League final with Inter Milan in Munich on May 31.
What's next for Arsenal?
Arsenal have had another decent season. Despite reaching their first UEFA Champions League semi-final in nearly two decades, the Gunners fell short against Ligue 1 champions PSG.
However, there's little time to dwell on that defeat, as they turn their attention to a trip to Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday (May 11). Arteta's side are coming off a 2-1 home loss to Bournemouth in their previous league outing.
Following the Liverpool clash, the Gunners host Newcastle United on May 18 before ending their season with a trip to Southampton seven days later. Arteta's side are second in the standings and look good to seal a third-straight top-2 league finish.
However, unlike last season, the title race this campaign ended long before the final day, with the Gunners not winning the top flight since their historic 'Invincibles' triumph under Arsene Wenger in 2004.
