Mikel Arteta Arsenal
You must be happy with the start to the season?
We are really happy because we are winning football matches that we deserve to win the way we are performing and playing. We need to continue. As I always said, I think there are a lot of things that we can improve, and you could see that in the second half. But the way we played in the first half – the amount of chances, how dominant we were, the energy that we played with – is really pleasing as a coach. Go to the next one.
That’s the third game Arsenal have scored really quickly after conceding. Is that something you wanted to address after last season – How they (the players) respond?
That’s the mentality we want to show as a team and the character we want to show: to react immediately. The disappointment (of) conceding goals is part of the game, like giving the ball away or having a bad action. It’s about the next action, the next phase and again when you play in front of this crowd, that helps. The energy they generate is just amazing.
With mindset, you’ve mentioned belief before. What actually gives players that belief when they concede?
Going through positive experiences and overcoming difficulties. It gives you the confidence that you can do it. That can be individually or as a team, and when you start to get that belief and create those moments, it’s not only us (players and staff) that believes, the crowd believes. When that connection happens, anything is possible.
Do you use Arsenal’s previous reputation for panicking after conceding to help with that?
We try to improve our players, and we have to try to improve the team. There are many things which are not just technical and tactical aspects which play a big part in football matches. That’s another tool that we are developing, and we need to keep developing. Especially when we are here, that is really powerful.
Do the team need to be more ruthless?
It’s the most difficult thing in football to score goals, but to be fair today, we had some big, big, big chances that we didn’t put away. Obviously, the intention is to score. I think Gabi Martinelli’s goal is a really difficult technique: the height of the ball, the angle he’s getting, the way he is approaching the ball, and he still managed to hit the target always gives you a chance. We are always working on it, and I think we are getting much better at it. As always, there is room for improvement.
Was Martin OK because he had some ice on his ankle?
Yeah, he got a bad kick, as you could see, and he was struggling.
Any worries for United for him?
I don’t know, he was struggling, it’s very recent, so we will have to see how he recovers in the next few hours.
Is there any update on Mohamed Elneny’s injury and how long he’ll be out?
That’s not good news. We still need to see another specialist, but I’m afraid that we’re gonna lose Mo for a while.
Does that impact your plans on deadline day, and are you expecting to do anything?
Obviously, it has an impact because Thomas is injured as well, and we’re a bit short in that position. We have players like Sambi, we have players like Granit who can play there. The club has been super supportive to keep improving the squad and the team as we can, and if the right player is available and we can do it we will try.
Is there much money left in the bank?
I’m not a financial guy. It’s a question for somebody else.
Is Ramsdale OK?
I think he felt something. I don’t know exactly what it is, but he managed to finish the game. It’s another one who we’ll have to assess.
Will Partey be out for a while?
He’s going to be out for a while. I don’t know how long that period is going to be. It’s not the first injury he had in that area, so the recovery is more for the doctors to put the timeline and see how he evolves.
Will this impact your strategy with the last day of the window coming up?
Well, we were pretty protected in that position, and now we are more exposed. We have to be prepared for uncertainties, injuries and suspensions. Things like that can happen, especially this season which is going to be really strange with the World Cup. We try to protect from that, but it’s not easy.
Is Tomiyasu getting back to his best?
Yeah, we are really happy that we are loading minutes into him, and he has been responding really well. He’s been training for weeks now without any issues, and that’s the first period that he’s been able to do that in the last six or seven months. You can see with the way he came on today. I thought he was really good.
Have you thought about how you might balance your squad for Europa League, and will you prioritise one competition over the other if it comes down to it?
Yeah, I thought about it, but then what happened with Mo and Thomas can happen and what your intention is and what you can do is related to what is available on the day and how the players are feeling. Of course, we want to give opportunities to the squad and the players because they really deserve them and rotate.
