Arsenal in difficult phase: Arteta

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged his team is going through its first tough period of the season after being stunned by second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup quarterfinals, two weeks after losing in the final of the English League Cup.

A shocking 2-1 loss at St. Mary’s stadium left Arsenal with just the Premier League and Champions League as trophy targets.

A knee injury to Gabriel Magalhaes, which forced off the Brazil centre back in the second half, added more misery for Arteta, who suggested there were players who took the field against Southampton despite having fitness problems of their own.

What Arteta wasn’t prepared to do was criticize his squad. “I love my players and what they’ve done for nine months,” he said.

“What am I going to do now? Criticize them because we lost a game here in the manner that they tried and the way they are putting their bodies through everything?

Some of them probably didn’t even have to be here today. “No, I’m not going to do that.  I’m going to defend them more than ever. If someone has to take responsibility that’s me and we have the most beautiful period of the season ahead of us.

And now it’s a moment in the season - you always have moments, usually two or three. This is the first moment that we have with a certain level of difficulty.”

Arsenal plays Sporting Lisbon — the weakest team remaining — in the Champions League quarter.