Arteta's Europa reaction: Arsenal 'nowhere near' the right levels, despite progress

Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal's performance against Olympiacos was way off the mark as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to the Greeks and flirted with disaster.

What should have been a cake-walk after a 3-1 win in the first away leg, turned out to be anything but as the Gunners made life so difficult for themselves. They conceded early in the second half and were pinned back in their own half for lengthy spells.

An inability to hold onto the ball and an overwhelmed midfield meant that they came under intense pressure at times and they were relieved to avoid a second Europa exit to the Greeks in successive years.

"I'm Really happy to be through," said the Arsenal boss after his side's 3-2 aggregate win. "But sometimes we have to be fair with ourselves - we were nowhere near the levels we could be.

"We were unstable with the ball and we gave it away. It's impossible when you give the ball away to have any structure. We created enough chances to win but were nowhere near the levels in which we can perform.

"We can't use any excuses. We had fresh players in the side. We started the game really well but then we had a lack of stability. We need to keep the ball and play some passes together and not just keep giving the ball away in transitions."

Arteta vowed: "We'll get better. When it comes to decision-making and execution, it's a little bit more difficult.

"We need another win in the Premier League and it's a big chance after the international break to get a run together."