Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to end their away day blues in the Champions League by beating Sporting Lisbon.
The Gunners have struggled away from home in Europe’s elite club competition under Arteta, winning just one of seven games on the road in total.
Arsenal have lost all of their last four away matches in the Champions League and failed to find the net in that time, too.
A trip to Sporting is next up on Tuesday and Arteta believes it is a good moment for his side to make a statement.
“It’s certainly something we have to improve,” he said. “We have the right steps, and looking back at the way we played against Inter, against a team that has been so dominant in the league, were in the Champions League final and should have won it.
“We played and dominated the game, we should have won. But the reality is you have to make it happen, and we didn’t.
“Those steps are what we have to take next, be ruthless and be much more efficient in the opposition box, and when we get there do what we have to do to take the three points away from here.
“Not all of the games have been the same. It’s true that some of those games were when we’d already qualified.
“But it’s true we have to improve the results and we have to find the ways to understand what has been missing.
“Sometimes it’s been performance to be fair, and sometimes it’s been different aspects, and that’s the next step we have to make as a team.”
Arsenal’s lack of goals has been a particular worry and the last player to score for them away from home in the Champions League was Eddie Nketiah – now of Crystal Palace – in December of last year.
“The efficiency we have shown inside the box, at this level, with the number of chances you are normally able to generate in the Champions League, has not been at the level that is required to win consistently,” Arteta said.
“I always say the Champions League is about the boxes, small margins and details, and you have to get all those right to win, especially away from home.”
