Diego Simeone says he noticed something about Arsenal in the second half that should really worry Mikel Arteta

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Arsenal had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash.

After a difficult first few minutes, the Gunners took control of the game and opened the scoring through Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty just before the break.

Atleti came out firing in the second half and equalised after a controversial penalty. Up until the last 15 or 20 minutes, it was the hosts who dominated the game.

Diego Simeone noticed that, and he thinks it is because the Gunners got tired.

Diego Simeone says Arsenal got fatigued in the second half and he knows why

Arsenal weren’t great, but they could’ve come away with the win if the refereeing decisions had gone their way.

Mikel Arteta’s men proved that they could control the game against Atletico Madrid, but a 25-minute period after the break showed how dangerous the hosts were.

Atleti will keep that in mind when they come to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg, and Simeone has already identified a potential issue for the Gunners.

The Argentine claimed after the game that Arsenal got tired as the game went on, and pointed at their Premier League title race as the cause.

Simeone feels that Arsenal’s challenge in the English top-flight, combined with their pursuit of the Champions League, added a layer of fatigue going into the second half.

He said, as per Miguel Delaney on X: “As the game went on, we noticed their fatigue, and the weight of going for the Premier League, trying to win the Champions League.

“All of that accumulated, and we picked up.”

READ MORE: Opta’s supercomputer predicts who will win the Champions League after semi-final first legs

First leg ends 1-1. Tell us what will happen in Arsenal’s second leg vs Atletico Madrid

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Mikel Arteta should be worried about Diego Simeone’s ‘fatigue’ claim

Simeone definitely has a point.

Arsenal went into the game against Atletico Madrid after a tough 90 minutes against Newcastle United last weekend.

Now, on Saturday, the Gunners have another tough fixture against Fulham, and less than three days later, they face Atleti again in the second leg.

If Arsenal were tired in the second half on Wednesday night, it is almost certain that they will have the same problem in the return fixture on Tuesday.

That is a big worry for Arteta, and it will be interesting to see if that will play a part in the Arsenal manager’s team selection when his men take on Fulham this weekend.