Arteta: "It Is a Big Punch in the Face — No Grey Areas Now, We Are In or We Are Out"

Mikel Arteta did not look for excuses after Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth at the Emirates on Saturday. He called it what it was and pointed straight to what comes next.

On the result: "It's extremely disappointing. It's a big punch in the face, but what I said to the boys, now it's about how we react to that, because it's game on. It's going to require now a big spirit, a lot of fight and very clear how we're going to approach that. There are no grey areas. We are in, we are out, and we need to be very, very, very strong and determined to approach it in a different way than we've done today."

On the performance: "We were very far from the level that we've shown. That's for certain, especially in certain areas that are critical when you play against a team like Bournemouth. Today there were some very basic things that we did extremely badly. When you do that, they're going to capitalise and it becomes very chaotic and very difficult to control."

On tiredness as an excuse: "I don't want to pull on those excuses because we've been playing so many games every three days and we're going to have to continue to do that. We have to embrace it and especially enjoy the opportunity. That's one of the things that I didn't see from the team today — that level of enjoyment in certain moments and the fight that we have to have to really change the course of the game when it gets difficult."

On injuries — Saka, Odegaard, Calafiori: "No update yet."

On the opportunity on Wednesday against Sporting: "A different competition as well. We have the opportunity to go into the semi-finals of the Champions League, and that's what we have to focus on right now. We need to go through that pain and use it in the right way. If you want to win those kinds of competitions, you have to go through difficult moments. What we need for sure is all the players available and fit. Go through the pain today, and tomorrow is a new day."

On whether he worries about the players' reaction: "No, because I've seen them before in many scenarios and I've seen them for nine months."