Leno laments Arsenal's dismal show against Olympiacos
Mar 19, 2021
London [UK], March 19 : Arsenal's Bernd Leno is disappointed with the team's performance against Olympiacos in the Europa League Round of 16 second-leg match and said the defeat will serve as a warning for his side.
Arsenal suffered a 0-1 defeat in the match. However, the Premier League side had won the first-leg match 3-1, meaning they progress in the competition with a 3-2 win on aggregate.
"I think we suffered today and it was not necessary. I think because in the first 15 or 20 minutes we controlled the game but then we've made too many easy mistakes and in the second half we conceded the goal and then everybody was nervous," the club's official website quoted Leno as saying.
"We made it hard for ourselves and, like I said, it was not necessary. In the dressing room, it was quiet because everybody knows that it was not a good performance from us. We cannot change it anymore but the positive thing is that it was a warning. We need to be 100 per cent every game. If we play like today then we won't reach anything this season," he added.
Youssef El-Arabi netted the only goal scored in the match in the 51st minute, helping his side win the match. However, it was not enough to overcome the deficit of the previous defeat.
Leno said Europa League is very important for them and is the closest way to go to the Champions League.
"I think there are only very good teams in the quarter-finals and we need two perfect games to go to the semi-finals and two more games to go to the final. The Europa League is very important for us," he said.
"This is probably the closest way to go to the Champions League and also to win a big European trophy so we need to step up. We need to have the motivation to win every game, cut out the easy mistakes and go through to the final and hopefully have a big final at the end of the season," Leno added.
Arsenal will next play against West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday.
