Mikel Arteta Arsenal
You were made to work hard for that weren’t you?
Yes. While we were 1-0 up obviously they’re still in the game and then in a situation in a set piece you can concede a goal. We knew that we had to close the game down, we did that at the end and it looked comfortable. But obviously it’s always a tough game.
Partey played just under an hour today. Was that always the plan?
Yes it was. He hasn’t played a lot of minutes. The rhythm of matches is nothing like the training session. He’s so willing to play and I think he was very efficient tonight.
Was it a bit of a risk playing him today?
We didn’t think so, that’s why we made the decision to play him. There’s always a risk when you play a match or when you have a training session with the intensity that we train. We believed it was the right thing to do and he was really pushing for it. I think it worked out well.
Bukayo looked lively when he came on. Is he getting back to the levels we saw last season?
Again, he finished the game against Burnley much better than he did the week before. Again he was seeking some minutes. He needed to play some minutes to get some match fitness and again I think when we brought him on, he looked really strong.
You made 10 changes tonight, how many do you expect to make for the North London Derby?
I don’t know. I will review the game and we will see what we do on Sunday. I don’t know.
The fans treated it like it was a big match. What has the approach been like preparing for this game?
The approach is to perform and win every single match and that has to be the aim of this football club. To have 50,000 fans in the Carabao Cup on a Wednesday night, it’s pretty special and it doesn’t happen in many places. The players noticed that and that raised as well the demands and it made the night more special.
What did you make of Lacazette’s contribution to the team?
Yes, he was captain because he’s one of our leaders and senior players. We haven’t been able to play him a lot. Last week we wanted to play him play him, but we had some injuries through the game and we cannot use him, but today he scored a goal and he worked hard again.
There was a lovely goal by Eddie Nketiah. He could have left in the summer but how impressed have you been with how he’s bounced back from not being able to move on?
Eddie is a lesson every day of how a professional should be in this job in the circumstances. There has been a lot of speculation around him, a lot of debate. He puts his head down, he trains harder than everybody else, he helps himself. He supports every teammate no matter the circumstances. So, I am so happy for him it’s not a coincidence that he was able to perform at that level and physically how he managed that game because he trains like the best every day. So I am delighted for him.
How close was Charlie Patino to getting a chance to play?
He was very close but at the end we decided that some players as well needed some minutes. It will happen naturally with time.
How impressed have you been with Charlie behind the scenes. Is he getting closer now?
Charlie has been good. He’s been training more and more with us. He played a practice game at Colney and was really good. But again, he needs time and we will prepare him.
At the ends fans were clapping and cheering you and you were stopping for selfies. Have you noticed the mood is more positive around the place?
Absolutely yes. But winning football matches it brings that connection and that belief and fans get happier. They are here to support a team and they want to see the team winning. So I think that’s a natural thing. They have always been with the team and we expect them to be in an even higher level on Sunday because we’re going to need them. Hopefully we can enjoy a beautiful day together.
You’ve got Leeds at home in the next round. What do you make of that one?
Well I just found out. We have experienced that one, we know how tough it’s going to be, so big match.
How important is it to have the momentum built up by three wins in a row ahead of Spurs?
Really important because confidence raises. I think competition brings the best out of you when you have difficult moments. Now the boys have managed to win three games in a row so credit for how they have handled that situation. And obviously they are really looking forward to playing on Sunday because it’s the biggest game of the season for us at home.
