'Extremely far from our standards!' – Mikel Arteta issues stern warning despite Champions League win

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted his side fell "extremely far from our standards" during their 2-1 victory over Slavia Prague. Despite securing three points in the Champions League, Arteta took full responsibility for a alarming second-half drop-off.,

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta offered a candid assessment following his side's 2-1 Champions League victory over Slavia Prague. While pleased with the first-half display, the Spaniard expressed deep concern over how the Gunners lost control after the break.

"Two very different halves - the first we played at a really high level in terms of intensity, tempo, quality and clarity in what we had to do... We were very efficient - we should have scored three, four or five," Arteta stated.

"Right from the beginning of the half, we were extremely far from our standards, the basics, the concepts, and everything we discussed to avoid," the manager added.

Slavia recorded 17 shots in the second half—the joint-most faced by Arteta's Arsenal in a Champions League fixture—prompting the manager to address the tactical regression directly. "It’s a huge lesson, and we’ll learn from the second half," Arteta explained.

"There are a lot of factors - but I don’t like to use that... I take full responsibility for the drop in the second half."

Addressing Ezri Konsa's early substitution, Arteta noted: "He’s played a lot, so many games in the last few weeks, and he had some issues and we decided to take him off."

Arteta praised goalkeeper David Raya for making crucial late saves while admitting the stopper was overworked. "He had to show his quality again, much more than we expected... but we’re concerned about what happened before that," Arteta remarked.

Conversely, the boss hailed Viktor Gyokeres' goal-and-assist contribution: "He was really good... He’s done it really well, not just for the assist and the goal, but he was really connected to the team."

"It’s really great news for him, because he really needed that performance," Arteta added.

Despite the performance concerns, Arsenal returned from the Czech capital with 10 points from four matches to sit third in the Champions League table.

Arteta will use the second-half display as a vital teaching moment as domestic action resumes.

The Gunners host Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday, aiming for a fifth straight league win before the international break.