Mikel Arteta Arsenal
Can you give us an update on Bukayo Saka and that challenge by James McArthur. What were your thoughts on that?
Yeah, Bukayo could not continue we had to take him off at half time. I saw the action and I cannot believe how the player continued on the pitch.
Lacazette missed a good chance just before the goal but made no mistake with the next one in injury time?
Yes. The game had different periods. We started really brave, dominant, we scored the first goal. We had after that a really bad period where we started to give too many balls away and did not have composure to control the game after having the lead. And then in the second half, when we were again in control, we gave the ball away two times and gave two really cheap goals away. After that I really liked the reaction of the team, how they tried. We created more chances to score and at the end I think we got the reward we deserved.
How important was it to grasp the draw to keep the momentum of the unbeaten run going?
Yeah, because sometimes when you concede the goals that we had you generate a lot frustration individually, collectively and you just throw the game away. We didn’t do that. The subs they were terrific I think the three of them. The way they came on, they transmitted the belief as well to the crowd that we could score the goal. These things happen for a reason and at the end we scored a goal because we kept fighting towards the end.
Thomas Partey took three shots in that game with an xG value of 0.08. Is that something he needs to stop doing or are you happy to see him taking these shots?
Well today in one of them he was much closer than he’s been. It’s something that we are practicing with him to determine and to decide the areas where we are more likely to score the goals and where we’re not. He has the capacity to do that because he’s done it throughout his career. He is trying and he needs to keep trying but in the right areas.
How bad is Saka’s injury?
I don’t know. See how it evolves. He could not continue and he’s a boy who’s pretty tough and he wants to keep playing and he could not carry on. We have a quick turnaround for the next game so we’ll see how he evolves.
Could you not understand why VAR wouldn’t look at that?
I don’t get it, for me it’s strange because with what we were explained at the start of the season and what happened it doesn’t make any sense.
You’ve drawn two in a row now without Granit in the side. Do we see on a night like tonight that you miss a player like that?
We know the importance of Granit and what he brings to the team. The maturity, the rhythm of the game, the consistency of the squad and the balance. He’s not available and he’s not going to be available for a few months. We know that. I totally believe in the other players that we have. It’s not about him. Today it was more of a collective issue with the lack of the composure we had to on the ball in that half period where we suffered and obviously the areas where we lost the ball today to give two goals away.
Were you lucky to get a point?
No, I don’t think we were lucky. You can say we were lucky because we scored in the last kick of the game, but overall in the game I don’t think we deserved to lose the game.
What disappointed you when Palace were on top for long periods?
The lack of composure to get a hold of the ball, to get control of the ball, to understand what we had to do and to show more quality. We started to defend something after scoring the goal and that’s what I don’t really like. We started to play not forward and keep the ball in the wrong areas and put ourselves in trouble. That’s the period I didn’t like. Afterwards we got better in the second half and it was better. But when we had some control, we just gave the goals away.
What did you say to Patrick Vieira after the game, did you have a chat at all?
No I just said ‘well done and all the best’.
Did you see any fatigue in the performance of Takehiro Tomiyasu given the long travel that he had over the international break?
No I haven’t seen any fatigue. I see the same player who tries and goes for every single duel, every single ball in the right manner. Like any player he had better and worse moments in the game, but I’m really happy with him.
Did you try to get an explanation from the referee about why he didn’t send McArthur off?
No. I saw the image at half time. I saw it back now and it wasn’t the right moment to do it.
Do you feel VAR hasn’t improved this season generally?
Well, if we want to detect things that are really relevant in a game that can change the football match, then they have to be looked at. That situation is not only that is affecting them, but we had to take our player off because of that action so it’s affecting in two different ways. It’s not right.
How would you like to see VAR used differently?
Well that you make straight away the decision. When it’s so clear and so obvious, do it straight away and they have to play with ten men.
Are you creating enough chances from open play?
We always want to create more. Today we had a few really good chances to score but we didn’t. But I said before, the period that penalised us was because with the ball we didn’t play at the level that we have.
Can you afford to lose Lacazette with performances like that?
Well, we have him. He’s our player and he shows real commitment so I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about how to get the best out of him and tonight he showed a real good moment and how much he cares about the team.
