Mikel Arteta responds to claims Arsenal are missing striker like Alexander Isak after Newcastle defeat

Mikel Arteta rejected the proposition that Arsenal are missing an out-and-out centre-forward successful the mold of Alexander Isak aft his broadside slumped to a 1-0 decision to Newcastle this afternoon.

Isak outjumped Gabriel Magalhaes and bushed David Raya with a almighty header to unfastened the scoring successful the 14th infinitesimal of the contention and visitors Arsenal simply had nary answers astatine St James’ Park.

Managing conscionable 1 changeable connected people crossed the full 90 minutes, the Gunners ne'er truly looked similar troubling Nick Pope successful the Newcastle extremity and the effect means Mikel Arteta’s men person dropped points successful each of their past 3 Premier League games.

Newcastle moved up to ninth successful the array with the triumph portion Arsenal missed retired connected the accidental to adjacent the spread connected top-of-the-table Manchester City, who look Bournemouth astatine the Vitality Stadium this afternoon.

The northbound London giants volition look to instrumentality to winning ways distant to Inter Milan successful the Champions League connected Wednesday nighttime earlier an eagerly anticipated match-up against bitter rivals Chelsea astatine Stamford Bridge adjacent weekend.

‘We started the crippled truly well. We were connected apical of it, we looked sharp, we looked alive,’ Arsenal caput manager Arteta told reporters astatine his post-match property conference.

‘Then successful 1 action, nonstop play, 2nd ball, they are truly bully and they enactment the shot wide. It was an unbelievable transverse and finish.

‘After that, momentum changes, vigor shifts and you cognize the crippled they privation to play, it’s clear.

‘You get, excessively often, dragged into that benignant of crippled and we weren’t bully enough, didn’t person capable answers to get retired of that, particularly creating the menace that we needed.

‘At the end, you are relying connected 2 oregon 3 large chances that we had with Mikel [Merino], 2 with Declan [Rice] and 1 with Gabi but not capable menace to accidental we could triumph the crippled truthful that’s the frustrating part.

‘Credit to them arsenic good for what they do.’

Arteta hopes his players regroup rapidly and ‘react’ to the setback astatine the San Siro successful midweek.

‘It’s astir however we react. We cognize we’re not going to find the close answers oregon words close present to picture however we feel,’ helium added.

‘We surely person to enactment it onto the tract connected Wednesday nighttime against Inter.

‘It’s not astir hoping to triumph the title, it’s astir being our champion mentation each azygous week and today, certainly, we weren’t our champion version.’

Newcastle’s match-winner Isak was heavy linked with Arsenal passim the summertime transportation model but the Gunners person kept religion with Kai Havertz successful the mendacious No.9 relation this season.

Asked whether his squads lacks a recognised centre-forward similar Isak, Arteta replied: ‘I don’t know. I emotion my players and I wouldn’t alteration them for anybody else.

Arsenal person undoubtedly missed Martin Odegaard’s creativity successful the mediate of the park, with the Norwegian missed the club’s past 12 matches successful each competitions owed to an ankle injury.

‘We tin sermon that each time long. At the infinitesimal we haven’t had him, we haven’t had him for the past six weeks and we don’t person him yet,’ Arteta went on.

‘But we person galore different answers that whitethorn beryllium precise effective.

‘Today, we request to look astatine ourselves, congratulate Newcastle and determination on.’

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