Mikel Arteta Arsenal
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #MikeArteta admits that #ThomasPartey change was meant to change the game for Arsenal #ArsenalFC

March 12, 2021
How much do you feel this result shows you’ve made progress in the last 12 months considering where you were last year. Yes, I’ve been saying that for a while. I can see probably more things as I can see internally, I know the process and what’s happened and how much has changed since we’ve been here a year ago. I think the difference is really big today. We are really pleased with the result, with the goals we scored and the way we played in big moments in the game. As well we have to be very clear with ourselves, we gave three goals to the opponents and they took one and at that level they are going to punish you. So, if we are going to go to the next level we have to stop that and be more ruthless. When you are that dominant and playing that well just kill the games. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel When you see moments that give you a heart attack like tonight does that make you question you conviction to play out from the back? No. It’s just when we have to play. You know they have to play the ball to this player, but when is the difference. It’s now, a second earlier or a second later and that gives the opponent a chance to press or to intercept a pass or not. Obviously the difference is to discriminate the decision making when it has to be done is what it dictates in the next action after whether you are successful or not. But it’s not about encouraging the team or stopping them when we have to play it’s about learning to understand when to do it and that's crucial. If not it creates insecurity and a game that is totally under control brings the team into an insecurity mode because it just brings the opponent into the game with how much we’ve done and the chances that we’ve missed and it’s unnecessary. It’s true though that the reaction after that to score two goals, and probably we should have scored one more, it’s great to see as well. Did you take any of the players off tonight due to injuries or with an eye on Spurs? No it was all tactical decisions, or things that we wanted to change in the game. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles What would you say to people who say Arsenal’s biggest opponent is themselves? Yeah they are not far off. The goals that we have conceded or the chances that we have conceded they are coming from ourselves. That’s really positive because the moment we stop it we’re going to be a lot stronger. But the reality is that we have to stop immediately because if not the games are all the time there to drop points. It’s my responsibility, I make them play the way we want to play. It’s just understanding risks and rewards, where they are and as I said before, when. We have to get better at that because if not it creates tension and insecurity and it creates belief in the opponent and that’s unnecessary. It must make every game tense It does but it’s what it is. Sometime when you go through a progress like this you have to be ready to go through these situations. I’m ready to do that, but again knowing all the time where the risks and the rewards are. And if the rewards are not bigger we should not take the risks. Mikel Arteta looks tense on the touchline during Arsenal's 3-1 win over Olympiacos in the Europa League Round of 16 It’s an excellent result but you sound like you’re not happy with the performance? No, because I want to be much more ruthless because as a team I don’t want to give anything to the opponents. The opponents are good enough by themselves to create problems, to create situations, to change organisational structures, individual quality that they have in this competition. So I want to give zero to the opponents, and whatever we do we have to be on it so much, so I would like the opponent to do the same. So I am happy with the result but I'm not satisfied with how we controlled the game through 95 minutes and that’s something that we have to improve. You said the decision to substituteParteywas tactical. Can you explain why? Because I wanted to change him and to bring somebody else in to try to find some other stuff and change the shape that we were playing inside. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles How crucial was MohamedElneny’sstrike? I don’t know there is still another game to play and in this competition and with this level of opponent anything can happen. So we have to be prepared to take the game as if it’s 0-0 and go and win the game at the Emirates and then we will be through. With Mo in particular and the subs I'm extremely delighted because I know how much they want to play and they are key in this competition. If you want to be successful you need your subs to make an impact. They’ve done it again. Mo in particular because how he’s been training so hard to improve his shooting range with Roundy (assistant manager Steve Round) and he got his reward for the team. Does that show the character of the team to come back like that? Yes, and it has happened in many games already and that has to become a habit. When you are able to react against a team in any circumstances, it doesn’t matter the disappointment, the moment or what happens, individually and collectively you need to know that you can get that response and the team is able to overcome any situation. So that’s really encouraging for the team. Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for the latest transfer news By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. And with the January transfer window now open there's plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. The only thing that had been missing from Martin Odegaard in recent weeks was a goal wasn’t it? He can do that. He needs to click by doing that. The same with Emile, the same with Willian is that they are there to make things happen and win games. Winning games is decided in the boxes and they have to be more encouraged to attack those situations to take risks, to take shots, to take those opportunities to dribble because that’s there quality. Hopefully that’s going to bring Martin the confidence. We scored two wondergoals from outside of the box and that’s another important way of getting goals and it’s going to be crucial.
Thiago Alcantara
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories – #JurgenKlopp suggests all talk about #ThiagoAlcantara not fitting Liverpool is rubbish #LFC

March 12, 2021
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dismissed criticism of Thiago Alcantara as his side returned to winning ways against RB Leipzig ahead of Monday’s meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Klopp went on the defensive after goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane completed a 4-0 aggregate victory over Leipzig to send Liverpool into the Champions League quarter-finals. The Reds had suffered six defeats in their last eight games before Wednesday’s round of 16 tie in Budapest, including the chastening 1-0 loss to Premier League relegation strugglers Fulham at Anfield on Sunday. Thiago, who returned from injury in late December, is among the players to have come under fire but the summer signing from Bayern Munich impressed against the Bundesliga side. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel When asked by a German reporter about the midfielder, Klopp said: “Thiago was good, they were all good. “I assume when you all look at Liverpool from Germany, people say it's (the problems) to do with Thiago or whatever - that's rubbish. “For the players who were new, they always needed time to get used to our gameplan but Thiago doesn't have that. “But he improves week on week. It is not a short-term project, it is a long-term project and it was good. “It is very fluid how we work together, the boys played some nice passes and Thiago had a great chance as well, I think he could have had a shot on goal but instead passed.” Wolves daily newsletter. Free. To your inbox There's a quick and easy way to stay on top of all the Wolverhampton Wanderers news with our daily newsletter. Delivered straight into your email inbox each day, the bulletins will feature the latest Wolves news, views, gossip and opinion. All you have to do is punch your email in at the top of the article - or sign up here. And what's more, it's absolutely free! You can also get all the latest updates by following us on Facebook and Twitter. We also have a free app which you can download. It is always up-to-date with the latest news from across the region. Google Play Store and App Store Klopp was able to move Fabinho back into his favoured defensive midfield role with the Brazilian having spent most of the season at centre-back after the injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. It was another boost for the German boss, who hinted he wants to keep the 27-year-old in the same position for the trip to face Wolves at Molineux. He added: “It was my hope before the season [Fabinho playing in midfield] and during the season it didn't happen, so we have to see what solutions we can find for the next games - for Wolves first and foremost. “Of course, No.6 is his position, one of the best in the world in that position, it's clear. It was not only defending-wise really good from him, he played some good stuff as well. [He is] important for us.” Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles
Mikel Arteta Arsenal
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #SokratisPapastathopoulos feeling strange on being on opposite side of Arsenal within 2 months #ARSENALFC

March 11, 2021
Here are your Arsenal evening headlines for Wednesday, October 10. Mislinat reveals reasons for leaving Sven Mislintat revealed that he left Arsenal when he was overlooked for the vacant technical director role at the club following the restructuring of the management process after Ivan Gazidis departed in 2018. Mislintat was brought to the club during Arsene Wenger's final season in north London. Wenger left at the end of the 2017/18 season. Gazidis left by the end of the year, and after Mislintat was passed over for more responsibility, he too exited. "I joined Arsenal to work with Arsene and to prove myself in the best competitions, the Premier League," he said in an interview with The Athletic. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel "My plan was to learn from one of the best managers in football history, support and challenge him to win as many games as possible and the day he would stop his career as a manager, maybe watch him change to the board level to preserve the values and philosophy of Arsenal and his work, ambition and legacy. "Arsene left after the end of the season of course and a few months later Ivan Gazidis left to become CEO at Milan. At that point, Arsenal restructured its leadership. "I applied for the newly-created technical director role and Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham, who succeeded Ivan in a co-leadership role at Arsenal, decided to go for someone else. "We then agreed in a very respectful way that I would leave, all entirely amicable." Sokratis' exclusive interview Sokratis gave an exclusive interview to football.london ahead of the Europa League tie between Arsenal and Olympiacos. The Greek defender was released by the Gunners in January. He then signed with Olympiacos, who knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League at the Round of 32 stage last year. Ahead of the tie, he says that he is looking forward to facing his former team and many of his friends. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles "It was a little bit strange because a couple of months ago I was with them," Sokratis said. "I still speak a lot with the people at Arsenal because I was there for two and a half years. "I'm in touch with the players. I spoke with them and they are excited that we play against each other. I'm close to a lot of them: David [Luiz], Granit [Xhaka], [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, Laca [Lacazette], Hector Bellerin and also Cedric Soares - these are the players I speak a lot with. "I spoke with them and of course it's strange [to be facing Arsenal] but I want to win - I want to go to the next round with Olympiacos. Friendship is one thing but qualification is another." You can read Sokratis' full interview with football.london here. Smith Rowe injury update Mikel Arteta has issued an update on the availability of Emile Smith Rowe, who missed the weekend's draw against Burnley after being substituted in the 3-1 win over Leicester City after he felt some discomfort in his hip. Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for the latest transfer news By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. And with the January transfer window now open there's plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. Ahead of Thursday's Europa League Last 16 first leg contest against Olympiacos, Arteta said that Smith Rowe will have a full training session to see if he can feature at all. "He is close to returning," said the Arsenal boss. "He is going to have a full session today to see if he can be involved for tomorrow's game. After training, we will know exactly where we are with him." Read the full story here
Nuno Espirito Santo
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #RaulJimenez waiting on ‘test’ as #NunoEspiritoSanto issues latest injury update #WOLVESFC

March 11, 2021
Nuno Espirito Santo recently relayed his belief that Raul Jimenez will don Wolverhampton Wanderers' colours once again this season. The Mexican striker suffered what many presumed would be a season-ending injury at The Emirates in November following a clash of heads with Arsenal defender David Luiz. Scans later showed Jimenez had fractured his skull and he underwent an emergency operation at hospital in London to repair the damage. There were doubts over whether Jimenez would be able to resume his career, but the 29-year-old quickly signalled his intention to play football again. And speaking before Wolves' game at Chelsea in January, Nuno explained how he believed Jimenez could even play again this season. Here is everything we know about Jimenez's injury situation as he gears up for a return to action.... Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel What actually happened? “As the skull is hit there’s acceleration and deceleration,” explains Antonio Belli, Professor of Trauma Neurosurgery at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. “The brain effectively accelerates and decelerates within the skull. There’s no space for the brain to move but what that means is that different parts of the brain - grey mass, white mass - all accelerate at a slightly different rate. "If you have suffered linear acceleration it’s not that bad. But as soon as you rotate the head then you cause straining of the nerve, particularly the axons which are the long strands that connect different nerve cells. They are particularly vulnerable because they are long and if you strain them you can suffer damage on the inside. “You get chemicals that are released through the nerves that cause unconsciousness. The brain stops working in certain areas temporarily. What you need to repair is the damage inside the nerve cells and that can take days, it can take weeks, it can take months.” A timeline of Jimenez's recovery A timeline of Raul Jimenez's recovery November 29: Jimenez fractures his skull in a clash of heads with David Luiz. November 29/30: Undergoes an operation to repair the damage at hospital in London. December 6: Discharged from hospital and allowed to return home to his family. December 10: The striker visits Wolves' training ground and is reunited with Nuno and his teammates. December 27: Attends Wolves' game with Tottenham Hotspur. He's watched every game at Molineux since. January 6: Wolves report that Jimenez has resumed light training in the gym. January 26: Nuno reveals his belief that Jimenez could play again this season. February 18: Nuno confirms Jimenez is taking part in some training with his teammates. Nuno's latest update Wolves' head coach recently told reporters that he is 'totally confident' Jimenez will play before this season finishes against Manchester United on May 23. Jimenez has been involved in some of the non-contact training drills with his teammates, including passing exercises, but he isn't allowed to partake in any match situation. “He’s doing well, he’s improving, he’s been able to join some parts of the training session,” Nuno said. “We expect him to progress with his fitness. He is doing good, he’s feeling well, he’s happy, but we have to take the same measures and precautions as we always do. “We follow the protocols and we’re guided by that. It’s a very delicate situation and we cannot afford any kind of mistake.” Jimenez is still waiting to receive the green light from his surgeon to resume competitive training. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles The 'test' that awaits Jimenez Jimenez need look no further than one of his striking predecessors at Molineux for inspiration. Don Goodman fractured his skull playing for Wolves in 1996 and returned successfully. Like Jimenez, Goodman was renowned for being good with his head and offered some insight into the psychological barrier Wolves' number nine will have to overcome before his comeback. “I had a moment in training where I was wearing a skullcap still because I wasn’t allowed to head the ball,” Goodman explains. “I was joining in five-a-side and a ball was smashed straight towards my face and human nature made me duck my head, put my chin on my chest, and I took it on the top of the head. “It smacked me right where the fracture was and knocked me off my feet. Training stopped and the lads piled round me. I was giggling on the floor because I knew after that moment that I was OK. That was the test for me. “Raul will have his own test, whether that’s heading a ball in training or clashing heads.” Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #MikelArteta on Arsenal’s finances, transfer plans and #PierreEmerickAubameyang #ARSENALFC

March 11, 2021
The club announced a £47m loss on Friday. How difficult is that going to make your summer transfer business? We don’t know yet because we have so many things to do. We have people on loan, people finishing contracts. There was a lot going on in the last two transfer windows that had to be done the amount of things we had to do which was probably unprecedented and it will be again in the summer. So we are trying to put a plan together to see with the resources that we have to see how much we want to improve, how we’re going to do it and at what cost. That has so many factors attached to it. It’s not just about one thing or about just an amount, it’s about a project that time-wise, how to build it is going to face some effort from everybody. We know that and the challenging moments that we are facing at the moment are making it even harder. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel Arsene Wenger clearly felt the financial pressure. Are you the same or can you separate the football and the finances? I am because I want a sustainable club. We all want a club that can be run with our own resources. It’s great that we have a club with the support of our owners and we have had that in the summer when it was much needed because of everything that has happened with COVID and what has happened with the club in the last few years without the Champions League and the heat that that took. But our responsibility and everything that we are planning from the future is that the club can go back to being sustainable on it’s own and being all the time as strong as possible in every department. The financial part of it is crucial as well. How important is European qualification to the amount of money you’re going to be able to spend this summer? It’s another big important factor because that gives us the opportunity again to keep our club involved in Europe whether it’s in the Europa League or Champions League. We know the aim is all the time to be in the Champions League, but at the moment things are looking difficult, but possible. The financial package that is attached to it at the moment is really, really important. Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles It was a year ago this week that you caught COVID. How much has the pandemic affected your ability to do your job? I could never imagine that when I got tested and I had the symptoms that – okay, I could be ill – but all these consequences this virus would have with all of us. It’s been really challenging and obviously having a first job, to do that, and being in the job for only three months, in normal conditions, to start to have a completely different context and framework to work has been really challenging but at the same time it’s made us much stronger. We have created a really strong group, a really strong bond with our players, with out fans, with our staff. That’s going to pay some big tributes I think in the future when everything comes to normality and we’re able to work with what is needed, with a bit of stability, I think this project is going to go ‘bang!’ This is where we are. Sometimes it’s difficult to see it in moments now, but I’m sure where we’re going. Will the experience make you a better manager? Yes, because I think we have lived something that, not just young managers like me, even managers who have been in the game 30 years, I talk with them a lot, say ‘listen I don’t know how to manage that, this is a new situation for me, I never experienced that in my life’. It’s been really challenging for all of us and we are trying to navigate through this in the best possible way. Some with many more problems that we already inherited and some others that they were in a different stage of that project. But I think it has effected all of us. Mikel Arteta after Arsenal's shock defeat to Olympiacos (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Do you need to win this tie against Olympiacos to show that any progress has been made? You need to win convince anybody that you are doing a good job, that the club is taking a good direction. If you are not inside every day and you know exactly what is going on at the club, the only way to convince people is to win. It doesn’t matter how well you play, if you deserve to win every single match, if you don’t win it I’m not going to convince you or any single fan or any single supporter that we are doing a good job. It’s only about wining and that’s the only way to convince people. Aubameyang has nine goals in his last eight starts. Does it feel like we’ve got him back? Yes. Obviously, there are much better stats, stats related to who he is and what he needs to bring to the team. But still I think he could score many more and he can do better in other aspects. He needs to keep having that mentality and he has that mentality. We need players to perform to the maximum. If Auba is in much better place the team will be in a much better place because at the end the games are decided in both boxes and what he can produce in the opponents boxes can have a great impact for our team. Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for the latest transfer news By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. And with the January transfer window now open there's plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. Is the feeling that he is coming into form at the right time? In big moments you need to have big players performing and making a difference because at the end it’s going to define where we finish in the season. It looks like in this moment he’s firing and he’s happy. Physically he’s in a good moment and he’s full of confidence. I think yeah it’s a good moment for the team and him.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #PierreEmerickAubameyang explains his goal celebrations at Arsenal #ARSENALFC

March 10, 2021
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has returned to goalscoring form of late. It has been a difficult season for the Gunners skipper and the team as a whole, but he has six goals in his last six games in all competitions for Arsenal, with fans hoping it signals a return to form for the rest of the season. Arsenal rely heavily on the skipper for goals and if he doesn't score they can find it tough to hit the back of the net from other avenues. But with the goals coming back fans have also seen the return of the front flip celebration afterwards. The Gabon international has become known for the acrobatic celebration after goals, but why does he do it and could he change it up? Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel The Arsenal captain, no stranger to social media, was invited on to the Arsenal official Twitch channel where he joined host Frimpon and one of the first questions he was asked from fans was about his celebration. He said: "I think it's because I feel so free when I do the front flip, I feel really, really free, that's my moment." But, can Aubameyang change it up and do a back flip and if so, when would he do it? Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for the latest transfer news By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. And with the January transfer window now open there's plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. "Maybe I need to check with some adrenaline, in a final maybe why not the back flip? I will try it and don't break my back!" he said. The only final Arsenal can reach this season is going to be the Europa League, so Gunners supporters will be hoping they get there and to see if the frontman busts out a back flip if he scores.