Mikel Arteta Arsenal
You seem very unhappy with the referee – could you expand on that for us?
I cannot do it. I just want to say I’m very proud of my players. Obviously, we didn’t get the result that we wanted, but I can’t wait to play on Monday.
You were upset about the sending off. That’s what it hinges on?
I want to be on the touchline on Monday night. No, because I will be suspended. You can ask the referee if he wants to give an assessment of the match. I have two options. I can lie to you which I don’t do or I can be suspended, and I really want to be on the touchline against Newcastle.
You could say you thought it was not a red card?
I’d prefer not to speak.
What went wrong from the team’s perspective?
That we lost the game. We were so excited to play the game and you saw the team how we started playing. This beautiful occasion was destroyed and unfortunately, we could not play the game we wanted to play.
Is it a blow for top four?
We can’t wait now to play on Monday. This is how I feel.
Did you feel there was a sign that your team could not handle the occasion?
No, I didn’t see that.
You’re in still pole position despite tonight’s result?
Absolutely. That the disappointment doesn’t take over more than the great opportunity and beautiful two games we have ahead of us. This is where our energy is going to be.
How is Rob feeling?
I haven’t spoken to him but you can imagine obviously having to leave the pitch so early in a huge match like this is very tough.
What is the state of fitness for Ben White and Gabi?
Gabi is not normally a player who asks to get off the pitch. He felt something but hopefully, it’s not much because obviously having Rob out and Ben with no training sessions, we are really short in that position. It’s a muscular problem and we’ll have to assess it.”
You used a back three against Chelsea. What was the logic for sticking with a four this time?
We didn’t play a back four in certain moments. Not today. We played a back five in many moments.
Will you appeal the red card?
I don’t know. I will speak to the club and let’s see how we feel about it. We will look at the best possible options.
