Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s lackluster performance in a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Thursday comes down to legs.
The Gunners failed to win for the first time in four outings. Arteta’s men appeared to stumble out of the gates and pick up their game over the final 45 minutes but the boss didn’t see it that way.
[ MORE: Three things we learned from Arsenal - Palace ]
Arteta frames the performance through the window of Newcastle taking the Gunners to extra time in the FA Cup this weekend.
“The run of games we’re playing,” Arteta said on NBCSN. “We played extra time a couple of days ago and you could see the freshness was not there today. We lacked it in certain moments and when we did connect at the end we did not finish them.”
STREAM ARSENAL - CRYSTAL PALACE FULL MATCH REPLAY
The Arsenal boss admits that the Gunners didn’t play well enough to get a win.
The sentiment is borne out from the Gunners 0.37 xG total, though they kept Palace under one xG, too.
“We created a lot in the final third against a really low block but we lacked the quality to make the right decision, make the final pass, or put the ball in the net.”
Arsenal will almost certainly face another low block on Monday when it faces Newcastle United. The Gunners then face Southampton, Manchester United, Wolves, and Aston Villa.