Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given a hint in what was included in his half-time team talk at Villa Park to prompt his side to come from behind to take all three points against Aston Villa. Arsenal got their fourth goal on the break after Martinez went up for a late Villa corner. It has since been revealed by Unai Emery that it wasn’t under his instructions. With the Gunners down at half time, Arteta has revealed the message he sent to his players at the interval which seemed to inspire a comeback.
Mikel Arteta said: “We had some difficulties in the first half collectively and individually we brought the level right down and we stopped doing the simple things right. At half time we said the moment is now, we have to raise the individual level, we have to look each other in the face if we want to come out and win the game because we can. Then we altered a few things and we produced a very strong performance. Probably we should have won it earlier than we have done.”
The Arsenal boss also highlighted where his team went wrong for both of Villa’s goals in the first half.
Mikel Arteta said: “Well, intensity… The first goal is Ollie Watkins he wants to attack you. You give the ball away and it’s one pass, one pass, and then he finishes the actions really well. The second one Bukayo is half injured, it’s gone, it’s a corner and we are not set and we are not leaving the game as we should. In the second half it was a completely different story.”
