Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to bounce back from their midweek Carabao Cup exit as the Gunners prepare to face Newcastle this weekend.
Arsenal remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season, but suffered a second defeat of the season in all competitions after losing 3-1 at West Ham in the League Cup this week.
Arteta was disappointed with the second-half performance from his side at the London Stadium and has insisted Arsenal must improve ahead of a tough trip to Newcastle this weekend.
“It always takes a few days to get over a defeat like that but now we focus on Newcastle. I don’t think the scoreline reflects the performance but we move on,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference.
“You have to be at it and if you take your foot off the gas against any opponent at this level, you get punished.
“We dropped in one phase in the second half and we need to find a different way to recover to keep momentum. The way we played in the second half was not good enough.”
Newcastle secured a top four finish last season to earn Champions League qualification for the first time since 2002/03, and Arteta believes the Magpies are an example of the increasing quality throughout the Premier League.
“What has happened in the last five years in this league is unprecedented. The level of the teams is increasing.”
Arteta provided an update on the fitness of his squad and confirmed Gabriel Martinelli is in contention to feature at St James’ Park.
“He had a little issue but he has felt better in the last few days. He will train today and if he’s fine he will be ready. We have another training session so there is a possibility [some players may return], but I don’t know.
“Nothing has changed with Emile Smith Rowe – he will be out for weeks. We’ll see how he progresses. It’s a big blow because he was getting some minutes.”
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