00:18There's a virus in nowhere, the training ground starts with some players and
00:29of course some staff members too.
00:33Something that can happen, I would not like to start the press conference in this way
00:38because it looks like it's the easiest explanation or the easiest way to go to find excuses and
00:44it's not really my way.
00:45But of course it was a completely weird week from ourselves, apart from some big players
00:52for us, they are out really from true injured because we have Sessegnon, Alex, Kenny coming
00:58back not in conditions and Kevin too, we had this weird week from ourselves.
01:04That is the reason why Sander was not even in the squad list and some players that they
01:09started the game they had a completely different week, some of them they didn't even have three
01:16sessions during this week but it's what it is.
01:19We started with 11, it's not the reason why first half we were not at the level that we
01:25should be.
01:28Was it also a virus, was it just a sickness or...?
01:33Yes, a sickness, yes.
01:36And did any of the times you started, did you have it all the way or...?
01:41I'm not really to make any explanations about it.
01:44It was a weird week but simple as that.
01:50Much better if it didn't happen but when it happened it's not going to be an excuse for
01:54us.
01:55Looking to the game and talking about the game that is the most important thing, of course
01:59we have to congratulate Arsenal for the three points but we made their life too easy.
02:04Too easy that the first half, the way we are not at the level that this type of game demands
02:10from ourselves, one thing that is making us to be a team that is always hard to play against
02:17because we are always very competitive, we are always brave, we have a clear identity
02:22how to play and during the first half all these aspects they were not on the pitch and we expected
02:30Arsenal to start in the way they did it.
02:33We plan to start, to try to start strong too and to try to express ourselves, to spread
02:38ourselves on the pitch.
02:41Sometimes it's not easy to set your game straight away when you come for this type of
02:44places, their quality, their capacity to press, they let the game to go for individual markings
02:50that is not easy sometimes to beat.
02:52And come that moment that you have to be strong in some individual duels, you have to be able
02:56to hold the ball, you have to be able to beat your man and of course off the ball you
03:00have
03:00to be able to do the basics, the basics well and this afternoon if you look the way we
03:05concede the three goals during the first half, we are not at the level that Premier League
03:10demands from you.
03:11I am not talking about a game against Arsenal, Premier League demands from you the way we
03:14are not able to defend the box like we should defend and to be strong enough in that type of
03:20moments and that was the reason why first half was a big frustration from us and disappointing
03:27performance from ourselves in all the specs of the game and Arsenal were the second best
03:32in almost everything during the first half.
03:34Clear conversation at half-time, the message was clear for them, it was our obligation,
03:38the meaning we should have done is to do completely different things in the second half.
03:42We did it but it was too late already and the damage was there.
03:49You were just saying you were disappointed when you played in the first half, Miklai Teta
03:52said that would be the best Arsenal have played in the first half all season, so is it more
03:56about them or more about you?
04:00Mikael as normal is going to analyse his side, I am going to analyse our side, it is not disrespectful
04:08at all from my side and from my opinion.
04:11We were not at the level, not the game like this demands that we normally are at all,
04:17we were not at the level of course and we have many examples, you have already played
04:22many times under myself here and if you compare one thing with the other you cannot see a team
04:28that wants to compare, of course the football game is always like that, sometimes one team
04:31plays what the other allows and if you want my opinion we allow too much for them, we make
04:36their life too easy for them during the first half.
04:40I like how you're getting into the match details but throughout, especially in the first half,
04:45you guys were caught a lot in the transitions and there were loads of space in between the
04:49nights, could you tell me for example what reason for your structure breaking down?
04:55I understand your question, sometimes if you want to go for a game like this one and you
05:01want to press high, you want to go to match them in moments of course you have to be all
05:06together and you have to go, you are missing, they try to mix up a little bit our three midfielders
05:11if you see the way the boy or Rice they drop to make the three at the back and the
05:17other
05:17to move behind our midfielders, we took out a bit of time to understand that who is going
05:21to be the central defender to squeeze in and after to go, but to be honest was not the
05:26reason, not the reason why they beat in that first pressure ourselves, that was the reason
05:30for them to score the three goals, just look for the way we defend our box in the three
05:34goals, first one starts from a set piece, 1v1 on the side, you have to control the striker
05:39in a completely different way, the third goal is the same, you have two against one inside
05:42the box, you have to control the striker and look for the second goal, more or less the
05:45same thing, two against one on the side, they let Saka to go behind.
05:49Many explanations that I can give you now, I am not going to give, I keep for ourselves,
05:54of course you are going to analyse the game because it is important for us to analyse
05:57like we do always when we win or not.
05:59We have a big one next week, another big big one in the fight that we are for European
06:03places and we have to not to forget this one quick, analyse quick, put on the side and
06:08after to go for the next one.
06:09Would it be more of a case where you are tweaking these issues or would it be the reverse of
06:15the aggressive mind-marking style you are playing to me?
06:18No, I think we planned the game in one way, we knew that it was going to happen from Arsenal,
06:24we planned the game in our way to go and try to be aggressive and to give some steps forward
06:30in the first moments of the game. I really believe that if you look, they started better
06:35than us and it can happen, you don't set your game, you came here, it is not easy to set
06:39your game straight away, you are going to be under pressure in some moments, we know that
06:43this type of game is normal, you are going to have a ball around your box some moments,
06:48probably more moments than normal and of course the basic things you have to do well,
06:51the way you are going to defend your box, the way you are going to defend some duels
06:54and we are second best in almost everything first off.
06:58Thank you very much.
06:59I think you could have asked about Europe actually, do you still feel that that's on for you this season?
07:05And given what's at stake today, is it disappointing that it's so flat?
07:11OK, but if I go eight days back to you, you are going to think in a different way,
07:15the way you beat Villa, the way you were really on it, the way you performed so well there.
07:19Of course, if you ask me, I expected much more from ourselves, but we lost three games,
07:25we didn't lose the goal, the goal is still open there, it is there for us to fight for.
07:31If you ask me if you are going to be at the same level, that should be impossible,
07:36because if you are going to be at the same level, I'm going to say to you that we don't
07:38have any chance.
07:39We have to go back for things that are important in our team,
07:43and I'm not saying that they were things that we did two months or three months ago,
07:47eight days ago you were in a very good level, you won a game clear at home,
07:51we performed at a very, very good level and just we have to do the same things again to win
07:55the next one,
07:56and of course they are going to be massive, massive big three points for us,
08:00that we have to win to keep in the fight.
08:03One final question, Jack, please.
08:05Is there an update on the spin for a moment, is there any update there?
08:08Looks like cramp, looks like cramp, yes.
08:11Thanks everyone.
Comments