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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that it is painful to see the club's rivals compete in the Champions League. The comments assume significance, as the Gunners are not in any European competition this season.
Arsenal have failed to qualify for Europe this season after more than two decades. Speaking ahead of his team's Premier League game against Burnley, Mikel Arteta said:
"It hurts a lot in the last few days to put TV on and see those teams there, and not see Arsenal there. It was painful. One hundred per cent. I don't want to be sitting there with Arsenal out of those competitions."
Most of Arsenal's rivals are competing in the Champions League. Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have all been regulars in Europe's premier club competition for many years.
Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea even lifted the Champions League last season, beating Manchester City in the final. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Leicester City are either competing in the UEFA Conference League or the Europa League this season.
Arsenal have spent big this summer in a bid to get back into the Champions League. However, the Gunners have only picked up one win from their opening four games, losing the first three without scoring a goal.
Arsenal haven't played Champions League football for five years
This is the fifth consecutive season Arsenal have been away from the Champions League. The Gunners last played in the competition in 2016-17, where they were humiliated by Bayern Munich in the Round of 16, losing 10-2 on aggregate.
The last time Arsenal went past the Round of 16 in the Champions League was in 2009-10 when they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Barcelona. Since then Mikel Arteta's men have been regulars in the Europa League, reaching the final in 2019 where they lost to their Premier League rivals, Chelsea, in Baku.
However, this is the first season for Arsenal in 25 years that they haven't competed in any European competition. The Gunners finished in a lowly eighth place in the Premier League last season.
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