Arteta on Arsenal's 2-2 Tottenham draw
Arteta on Arsenal's 2-2 Tottenham draw
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00:00 OK, we'll kick off with John Costa and Mirra.
00:02 What did you make of the game?
00:04 Well, we are very disappointed not to win the three points, that's for sure,
00:09 especially when you go twice in front in the game,
00:12 and you have the opportunity to win it,
00:15 especially the moment that we conceded the goals,
00:18 and we had control of the game, that we could have scored the 2-0
00:21 with the situation with Gabi, and then you concede the goal
00:24 and you have to bounce back, and we did, we scored the goal,
00:27 and it's a shame that within a minute you concede the other one.
00:30 I think that affected the team emotionally quite a lot,
00:33 and we lacked some composure on the ball to get more passes,
00:36 to get in the final third, and it became a bit of a transitional game
00:40 that is a risk you want to play against them.
00:43 And then we pushed in the last 15-20, we pushed, we pushed, we pushed,
00:46 but we lacked probably the quality in the final pass as well
00:50 to get the most out of it and win the game.
00:52 How frustrating was it that one of you only had clear chances
00:55 to get that basic, and then against also you go 2-1 ahead,
00:59 and again you don't have that time to come up with the authority on the game?
01:04 In big games you have to put boxes, they are so, so important,
01:08 and we had to put those chances away, we didn't,
01:10 and as well we have some errors like the one we have in both goals
01:15 to concede, then it becomes difficult to win, but honestly.
01:19 Therefore the energy that the boys put in, the attitude,
01:22 it was phenomenal, but I think we lacked today certain composure on the ball
01:26 to be more dominant and to get set, to get the structure in the game
01:30 that we needed against a really good Spurs side.
01:33 James from CBS.
01:34 Mikel, your pressing was so effective in the first half,
01:37 it seemed to take off, what do you put that down to?
01:40 Well I think in the second half we were getting a lot of goals as well,
01:44 in high press I think they came out twice, one with Maddison
01:47 when they hooked the ball to him and he took that position,
01:50 and credit to them because they have the quality and take the chances
01:53 to do that, but apart from that I don't think we conceded
01:56 from set situations a lot, it was more the danger when we have simple giveaways
02:01 and when we regain the ball and we didn't do enough with that ball
02:04 that we regain in certain areas to allow them to spread out and run less.
02:09 Kyle from Football London.
02:10 Mikel, Declan came off at half-time, was that due to an injury?
02:15 Yeah, he had some discomfort in his back and he was telling us
02:19 during the first half that he was uncomfortable and when we assessed
02:22 him at half-time he could not continue, so we had to change him.
02:25 Was it the same with Fabio, did he come off with an injury as well?
02:27 No, Fabio wasn't injured, that was a tactical decision.
02:30 There's quite a few injuries now, stacking up against the squad,
02:33 how much of a test is this going to be over the next couple of weeks
02:36 for the depth of the squad?
02:37 Well it was already a test today because we missed five big players,
02:41 but it's what we have and as well trust and give opportunities
02:44 to the other ones, we have a game every three days
02:46 and that's the level that we have to show, so go for it.
02:49 Simon from Eton Ascended?
02:51 Just on Spurs, from what you see today, do you feel like they're competing
02:54 for the same prize as you, do you put them in that bracket?
02:57 I think they are a really good side, they are a really good coach,
03:00 you can feel the spirit within the team, you can feel the energy within them,
03:05 but I think it's six games, it's too early for everybody to discuss
03:09 what we're going to be.
03:10 Just on Declan, is there any danger he's out for a short or medium term?
03:15 Hopefully not, but we have to assess him and see.
03:18 It's strange that a player like him asks to come off because he was uncomfortable,
03:22 so hopefully not, but let's see.
03:25 I think you've just got two left, James from ESPN?
03:27 Do you think the fact you played midweek had any bearing on it,
03:29 maybe they looked a bit leggy towards the end?
03:32 I don't know, I think we finished the game really strong,
03:34 we were very dominant, we played in the third, they could not get out.
03:37 There were moments that we played super hype,
03:41 and that takes you the atmosphere, the energy to play there,
03:45 and you cannot play at the same pace when you don't have the ball
03:48 and when you get the ball back.
03:50 We lacked that composure to be much more dangerous because we could have been.
03:55 Can I just ask you about the error by Jorginho?
04:00 What happened there? It's almost inexplicable.
04:02 What happened is that I love him and we love him, and we all love him,
04:06 and errors are part of football and they are allowed to make errors
04:11 because they play, and we don't play and for us it's really easy,
04:14 but if there is someone that is willing to help the team and do the most of it,
04:17 and he's got it for the team, it's Jorginho and we are all with him.
04:21 I know it's such a long way to go, but does it worry you at this point
04:27 that City have got a four-point head start over you?
04:29 We're not thinking about this, guys.
04:31 We have a game every single day, we try to win our games.
04:34 We have tried to win the game today again and we didn't manage for very obvious reasons.
04:40 That's it and we have to improve.
04:43 OK, Rob, thanks very much.
04:44 Thank you.
04:45 Thank you.