Thursday, 25th October, 2012
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has admitted that the club’s Champions League loss to Schalke has left them a difficult position.
The Gunners went down 2-0 at home to the German giants in a surprisingly poor performance which saw them fail to open up Schalke and create any goalscoring chances of note.
Schalke made no mistake however when opportunities presented themselves and scored two goals in the final 15 minutes of the match, through Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Ibrahim Afellay, to secure three vital points which take them above Arsenal and top of Group B.
Arsenal now face the daunting task of having to beat Schalke in Germany if they want to put themselves back in the running to top the group.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos, who won in France against Montpellier, are third with three points, while the French outfit sit fourth on one.
The situation, if Arsenal are to finish top and avoid the biggest names in the Round of 16, is tough, as Arteta well knows.
relatedNewsStory"It makes it very tough for us because we have to go to Germany and get the points", he told UEFA.com.
"We have to put this night behind us and bounce back after two defeats."
The Spaniard also lamented the fact that proven goalscorer Huntelaar had been allowed the space to cause damage in the box.
"We conceded a sloppy goal because you can’t leave Huntelaar alone in the penalty area."
