Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has blamed his side’s FA Cup elimination at the hands of Nottingham Forest on fatigue after playing well against Manchester City for 45 minutes.
Forest striker Lewis Grabban’s 83rd-minute goal sent the Championship outfit into the draw for the fourth round at the expense of the North London club.
Arteta claimed his team are still feeling the effects of a decent 45-minute spell against Man City on 1st January.
‘Some of the players are still knackered from that time we almost drew at home with City’, the Spaniard told Paddy Power News.
‘The fans cannot expect us to beat a second-tier side only eight-days after such a Herculean effort from the lads.
‘On Sunday we played sh*t and lost. Against City we played well and still lost.
‘Although the performance levels may vary, we can still guarantee defeats’.
The Spaniard also confirmed left-back Kieran Tierney picked up an injury during the 1-0 defeat and is a doubt for the rest of the season.
‘Kieran’s had a scan this morning and unfortunately, he’s put his back out from carrying the team all season’, revealed the 39-year-old.
A general view is pictured of the Emirates Stadium in London on March 13, 2020. – The English Premier League suspended all fixtures until April 4 on Friday after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for coronavirus. (Photo by Isabel Infantes / AFP) (Photo by ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images)
‘We won’t be rushing him back because our season’s over now, so what’s the point?’
Meanwhile, Arsenal have launched another retro kit to mark their early FA Cup exit, Paddy Power News understands.
The Gunners released the new ninth-choice strip that was worn by the Arsenal side which suffered a shock third-round defeat to Wrexham during the 1991/1992 season.
In a post on their official website, the club said:
‘As worn by the side which lost 2-1 to Wrexham in the third round of the cup back in ‘92, get this classic yellow jersey complete with Tony Adams’ tear stains’.
‘Be sure not to miss out as there will be only five more Arsenal retro kit launches before the end of the season’.
*Paddy Power’s breaking news coverage is 100% fake news – except the stuff about Arsenal being sh*t, that’s all true*
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