Mikel Arteta cut a frustrated figure on the touchline at times on Wednesday, which would boil over into rage with 12 minutes to go. The Arsenal manager was fuming after his team were denied a late penalty in a 1-1 Champions League semi-final first leg draw at Atlético Madrid.
Arteta will seek to use perceived injustices as fuel after the match, but he also needs a gameplan that can deliver more chances in the second leg. The Gunners were left bewildered after referee Danny Makkelie reversed his decision to award a penalty for a David Hancko foul on Eberechi Eze, with the official deeming the contact insufficient.
Declan Rice claimed the referee bowed to fan pressure, saying: "It's a clear penalty. I think the fans provoked the decision and changed the ref's mind." Two VAR interventions worked against Arsenal, with Ben White adjudged to have handled the ball to concede the penalty from which Julián Alvarez equalised.
Arteta's Siege Mentality
Arteta has felt the walls closing in on the domestic front in recent weeks, and he went on the offensive about refereeing decisions after the Premier League win over Newcastle. He insisted Nick Pope should have been sent off and also referenced the defeat at Manchester City, claiming Abdukodir Khusanov should have been dismissed. By highlighting perceived injustice, Arteta seeks to gain an edge, but it did not work in Madrid.
The Arsenal manager is in siege mentality mode, ripe to be nibbled at by rivals. Atlético boss Diego Simeone made loaded comments about Arsenal's tiredness and responsibility, while also criticising the first penalty awarded to Arsenal. Simeone said: "The first penalty, in my humble opinion, there is a contact on the back, he waits for the contact, throws himself."
What Arteta Must Do
Arteta must use the feeling of persecution as fuel and devise a gameplan that can better cut through Atlético's lines. In the first leg, Arsenal controlled the ball and tempo after a difficult opening 10 minutes, but created little clear-cut chances apart from the penalty and a couple of surges from Noni Madueke. Atlético turned the tide in the second half, pressing more effectively and missing big chances through Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann.
Arteta will hope to have Eze and Saka available from the start for the return, and maybe Havertz back from injury. Atlético's Alvarez must shrug off the problem that forced him off. The last word went to Marcos Llorente: "It is two teams with very clear ideas. It will be another war."
