Arsenal ace left to rue missed chances at Stoke

Sunday, August 26, 2012
4:15 PM

Mikel Arteta says it was two points lost for the Gunners

Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal’s second successive goalless draw at the start of their Premier League campaign was “not good enough”.

The Gunners stuttered against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium, failing to convert chances just as they did in the campaign curtain-raiser against Sunderland last weekend.

The midfielder and his team-mates controlled the lion’s share of possession but with Robin van Persie – who netted on his home debut for Manchester United 24 hours earlier – no longer in their ranks, Arsenal’s problems in front of goal were brought sharply into focus.

“It [two points from the first two games] is not good enough. We wanted the three points, but it is a hard place to come and try to get the points,” Arteta said.

“We had some really good chances but at the moment we are not taking them, the same thing happened last week.

“We are making them and conceding few chances to the opposition but we lost two points again today.”

The Spaniard was quick to praise his two new attacking team-mates Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski.

He said: “We didn’t concede many chances and were well organised.

“We need three, four, five games together and then we will see (how good they are).

“They have the quality.”

There were positives however, with a second clean sheet in a row as Arsenal dealt comfortably with Stoke’s physical presence that has so often been their undoing.

Arteta said: “You know if you concede fouls and throw-ins they can put you in trouble because they get the ball in the box and are really organised at set pieces.”