Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says fatigue is beginning to take a toll on his team after a dull 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Thursday.
The Gunners had won three straight in the league but could find no collect a fourth against Palace who were unlucky not come away with all three points at the Emirates.
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“We created a lot of situations against the low block but lacked the final quality. We probably didn’t do enough to win the game,” Arteta told Sky Sports after the game.
“We are playing a lot of games and you can see fatigue is paying a price, many players aren’t fresh.
“We had a period that was fatigue-related where we kept giving the ball away. We lacked the quality in the final third to win the game.”
Arsenal dominated possession in the second half but failed to give Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita much to do.
Arteta attributed the lack of sharpness in front of goal to tired legs.
“Some freshness and quality in the final third was missing. We had a lot of entries into the final third but no big, big chances,” he said.
“I wanted to see a win today and to score a few goals but we were fatigued. We gave the ball away, but I cannot fault the spirit. It wasn’t enough.
“Kieran Tierney is a real threat and the way we attack on the left is really important but he is injured and we have to find a solution. He will have an MRI scan tomorrow.
“Roy Hodgson has done that all through his career, that is how they beat a lot of big teams. We had the plan we just didn’t have the execution.”
Arsenal remained 11th in the table with the draw. They will next host Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday.