Arteta: Staying positive

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Arteta holds out for a miracle

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta is still hopeful of an unlikely second-leg turnaround when AC Milan visit the Emirates in three weeks time.

The Gunners were outclassed 4-0 at the San Siro on Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, a result boss Arsene Wenger labelled “a disaster”.

But Arteta remains surprisingly upbeat despite the resounding defeat and reckons a few quick-fire goals in north London on March 7 could give Wenger’s men a slim chance.

“Never say never in football,” the Spaniard told the Evening Standard.

“If we score two goals in the first half at the Emirates then it is game on. After last night, it will be very difficult to get through and we all know that.

“There is nothing we can do about the pitch. It was absolutely awful - you had no control at all. They are more used to it because they play here every week but I don’t think we need excuses.

“They were the better team and deserved to win. We go to London with a really disappointing result.

“Everything became difficult after the first goal. They scored three goals on the counter-attack. It is difficult to take in and we have to change our mindset. We have another tough game on Saturday (at Sunderland in the FA Cup).”