Mikel Arteta seeks solution to long-standing Arsenal problem as he bids to improve poor away record in Europe

Manchester City recovered retired 3 weeks agone however pugnacious a spot the Jose Alvalade Stadium tin beryllium to visit, with Pep Guardiola’s broadside torn isolated connected their mode to a 4-1 defeat.

Sporting person mislaid caput manager Ruben Amorim to Manchester United since then, but his successor Joao Perreira has promised improvement and not revolution.

Perreira was antecedently successful complaint of the Sporting 2nd squad and began beingness successful complaint connected Friday with a triumph 6-0 implicit Amarante successful the Portuguese Cup.

“Anyone who was paying attraction to the B squad knows that this squad utilized a akin playing strategy to the main team, with antithetic details, but the principles were the same,” said Perreira.

“Taking distant Sporting’s individuality would mean taking distant the players’ individuality and taking distant what they are utilized to doing.”

Sporting are apical of the Portuguese league having won each 11 of their games, portion they are besides unbeaten successful the Champions League with 10 points from their opening 4 matches

Much of that is down to Viktor Gyokeres, who is the associated apical scorer successful the Champions League and the astir in-form striker successful Europe.

He has 33 goals successful 25 games for nine and state this season, including 17 successful his past nine.

Arteta refused to beryllium drawn connected Gyokeres, who has been linked with a determination to Arsenal, astatine his property league connected Tuesday.

The Arsenal manager was, however, acold much forthcoming erstwhile it came to discussing his side’s troubles connected the roadworthy successful Europe.

Arsenal’s distant grounds successful the Champions League nether Arteta makes for grim reading.

In 7 games they person won conscionable once, with that triumph coming astatine Sevilla successful October past year.

They person failed to people successful immoderate of their past 4 Champions League distant games, with Eddie Nketiah the past subordinate to find the nett for them connected the roadworthy successful Europe backmost successful December past year.

“Not each of the games [away from home] person been the same,” said Arteta. “It’s existent that immoderate of those games were erstwhile we’d already qualified.

“But it’s existent we person to amended the results and we person to find the ways to recognize what has been missing. Sometimes it’s been show to beryllium fair, and sometimes it’s been antithetic aspects, and that’s the adjacent measurement we person to marque arsenic a team.

“The ratio we person shown wrong the box, astatine this level, with the fig of chances you are usually capable to make successful the Champions League, has not been astatine the level that is required to triumph consistently.

“I ever accidental the Champions League is astir the boxes, tiny margins and details, and you person to get each those close to win, particularly distant from home.”

Arsenal person aspirations of warring for some the Champions League and Premier League - and to bash that they indispensable amended their grounds connected the road.

They managed to bash it past play successful the Premier League, losing conscionable 3 of their 19 distant games, and present they indispensable bash the aforesaid successful Europe.

A triumph connected Tuesday would beryllium a bully commencement and it would besides importantly boost Arsenal’s hopes of finishing successful the apical 8 of the Champions League.

The worth of that is great, with those sides earning a bye to the past 16 alternatively of having to play a two-legged play-off.

It is wherefore Arteta whitethorn look to spell beardown with his squad against Sporting.

Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz were each unused substitutes successful the 3-0 triumph implicit Nottingham Forest connected Saturday, but could return.

Rice has been struggling with a breached toe, but Arteta confirmed helium is acceptable to commencement if selected.