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Here is every word from Mikel Arteta’s post-match press conference following the victory over Brighton in the Premier League
Mikel Arteta spoke to the media following the victory over Brighton, in which once again his side needed to hang on to the victory. Still, the Gunners have not yet won a league game since December 3 by more than a single goal.
Martin Odegaard scored early to open the scoring, and in what should have been a moment to see the Gunners take control. Even when the own goal from Georginio Rutter was scored, Arsenal still couldn’t stop the game from again becoming a festival of nerves.
Arteta lost Riccardo Calafiori before the game even started which he addressed after the game. With the test against Aston Villa to come in just three days, Arteta has many big calls to make.
Here is every word from the press conference:
Thoughts on the performance?
Very happy with the performance, individually and collectively so dominant, we were a big threat, so very pleased with all of that, but the margin should have been much bigger, I mean the amount of situations, chances, open chances that we generated through the game, it should never be 2-1, but that's the Premier League that we have to make, I think the first shot that they had, they scored the goal and then David [Raya] has to make another save to maintain the result, so yeah, but what I like is that we have a lot of issues, we're dealing with it in an incredible way, yesterday we lost Jurrien, today we lost Calafiori in the warm-up, Declan has to play as a full-back and you see the performance that he put in, so that's the spirit and that's how much our players want it.
How long can you sustain that with the amount of injuries, you seem to be having to dig deep every week to get over the line?
At the moment we survived six months, so let's see, there's another five and a half to go, so hopefully things will get better, the good news as well, for example we've got Gabi, we've got Gabi earlier than expected, which is great, I the staff they've done an incredible job, the way he pushes himself as well, and that's what we need, because we lost one, we've got somebody else back, and overall I think the performance was against a really good side, very, very good.
Do you think the injury issues are uniting the group?
Yes, because as well there are injuries with Jurrien, he landed awkwardly and there's something with Richy, it was something as well, very, very strange and yeah, but you speak to Declan and tell him he needs to play there as a right winger, and he said, ‘Okay, I'm up for a challenge, I'm going to do my best.’ And the attitude is great to witness.
This is the second week in a row where City have obviously gone top and you've had to respond within hours, how much confidence does that give you in the title race that you've done that twice in a row and you can do it this season?
We can only control what we do, and we're doing a lot of good things that I think that we have to improve as well to have the margins better, we need more players back as well to have better options and maintain the team very, very fresh, and every three days is going to be a challenge and we are up for it.
You alluded to it in that first question, but if you keep performing this way, keep creating the shots and the chances you do, do you feel like a very big statement win will come quite soon?
It has to be, because we have a lot of quality, but what I like is the way we play, the way we produce, how willing the players are to take that initiative, that aggression to make things happen, because this is a very, very difficult team to play against, and I think we've done really well for the majority of the game.
Could you talk a little bit about the process when you lose a player in the warm-up, and the process to then picking a new player and how that goes, is it a panic setting in, or are you very confident the plan B, C, D is going to be correct?
No, it's something that we have prepared, because we know that it can happen, so when I give the line-up, I always tell the boys, and the day before, it's ‘Be ready, because this is football, this is the Premier League, and anything can happen.’ Somebody now can get a bug, and an hour later he cannot play, and you have to be in the right mental frame to be able to perform immediately, and don't go through that disappointment, and that's what the players are doing.
And what was the issue with Richy just quickly?
It's something that he felt yesterday, something very awkward that happened, and today in the warm-up he wasn’t comfortable.
You talked about the margin should have been bigger, I think you said the same thing against Palace, one goal wins against Everton, when was the last time you felt comfortable in a game?
Comfortable in this league, that's a big word, but when the scoreline is bigger, but hopefully I don't have to use it at all.
Do you feel that kind of nervous energy in the game?
With the crowd, you mean? Because when you just conceded in the last minute the game before against Palace as well, and you didn't really concede nothing, and then they score with the first show that they had, obviously it is, but we have to be able to go through that as well with normality, with showing composure and understanding that, OK, if you don't do that well, you are not efficient in your opponent, but then you have to be incredibly good in your own, and that's a good way as well to go through that
Is that a consequence of the crowd being nervy?
It's the willingness to win, we all want to win so badly, that it's like, no, I don't want to lose what I have, and we have to play to continue to score and show that composure and that ability, and we should have scored the third one, I mean, we have two massive chances to put it 2 to 3-1 and then it would have been different. We haven't, so we have to suffer a little bit more.
Is that sustainable, though, to be that emotional at a time like that?
Yes, from my side, yes.
Can't it have a knock-on effect, though, if you're emotional for every single game?
If you win, I think you win, you learn and you go again. The knock-on effect of winning is incredibly powerful.
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