00:00If you have a question, raise your hand and we'll come to you.
00:04We'll kick off with Ed here from the Guardian.
00:08Hi, Mikel.
00:10A good win in the end, but not the best finish.
00:14You were made to work for it in the end.
00:16Yeah, well, first of all, you have to value the fact that it's very difficult to win away from home.
00:21We've done it against a really tough opponent, as we expected.
00:25Two very different halves.
00:26The first one where we played at a really high level in terms of tempo, intensity, quality and clarity
00:33in what we had to do and what the game was demanding.
00:36And they were very efficient.
00:37Scored two goals, it should have been three, four or five.
00:40We didn't make that gap and I have signed the message.
00:42It was clear.
00:43It's still a lot to do in this game because it's a team that has huge spirit, huge conviction,
00:50and you give them something, they will grab it.
00:51And right from the beginning, we were extremely far from our standards
00:56and everything that we have to do in every basics, in every concept
01:01and in everything that we discussed to avoid the game that we played in the second half.
01:06So, yeah, very far from the standards that we expect from each other.
01:11But, yeah, we find a way to, at the end, hold on to our results and win the game.
01:16What would you put that down to, that drop-off in the second half?
01:19I already mentioned a few things and some others that I will give to myself.
01:23OK, Issan from the Daily Mail.
01:25Hi, Mikel.
01:26Obviously, being away in Europe, there's always challenges when you're on a way to abroad.
01:31But by the end, 17 shots to Slavia and 12 for Arsenal.
01:36How can you explain such a drop-off from the first half where you're running absolutely rampant
01:40and then to such a massive change?
01:43Yeah, well, I already did.
01:44I already talked about the things that we didn't do,
01:46some others that I prefer not to mention.
01:49And that is a huge learning.
01:51Learn from the first half and what we are capable of doing.
01:54Learn from the second half.
01:56And, well, unquestionable as well is, obviously,
01:59it's the third away game that we have on the road in a very few days.
02:03I think we are the only team that play three away games already in the Champions League
02:06and one at home.
02:07So, it's a lot of factors.
02:09But I don't like to use that because in the first hour we did,
02:12it was at the level that we want and we need to race.
02:16And the second one, so much to improve.
02:19So, I take full responsibility for that.
02:21Aside from that, one of the big takeaways, I thought, was Victor Jokeres.
02:24Obviously, the goal, the assist, marching around, seemed full of confidence.
02:28What did he show out there today?
02:31I thought he was really good.
02:33It's a game that we believe it was really good for him,
02:38for the demands of the opponent puts in, for the spaces that he could use.
02:42He's done it really well.
02:43Not only the assist and the goal, but he was really connected to the team.
02:46And, yeah, great news because I think he needed that performance.
02:50James from The Athletic.
02:51Hi, Mikel.
02:52Just on Victor, obviously, it was a brilliant finish,
02:54but are you almost more excited or encouraged by his combination play,
02:59like his assist for Noni and the little one-two with Mikel?
03:02That seems to be an aspect of his game that's really developing.
03:06He did that really well.
03:07He understood really well.
03:08Went to appear, went to threat, because they leave,
03:12because they follow man-to-man on the midfield.
03:13There's a lot of spaces there.
03:14So, when I said he was very connected to the team,
03:17one of the main things is what you just mentioned.
03:20So, really pleased because I think overall he had a great performance,
03:23apart from the goal and assist.
03:25Has it been a bit of a challenge for him?
03:26Because he's so used to being the main man at Sporting
03:30and with Sweden to an extent as well.
03:32And last season he played a lot of games, a lot of minutes,
03:35but he's had to adapt to a slightly different role this time
03:38and rotating more with Kai.
03:39Has that been a challenge for him?
03:42Well, that's a question for him,
03:44but I imagine that every player wants to play every game,
03:47and Victor, it's no difference what the players need to do
03:50when they are given the opportunity to impact the game,
03:52like what he's done today,
03:54and to show the level that he can produce.
03:57And that's very, very positive for the team.
04:02Just on David Rye, obviously an unbelievable save,
04:05and he stands tall at the end there.
04:07What can you say about him in terms of just his stature
04:10and how he continues to just grow and evolve and get better?
04:13He had to show his quality again,
04:15much more than what we expected.
04:18So, this is great,
04:20but very concerned about what happened before that,
04:23which is something that obviously is not what we've shown in the past.
04:28Can I just check on Ezra Contra as well?
04:30I assume he's fine because he carried on the second half.
04:33He seems to feel his knee at the start of the game.
04:35Yeah, obviously he's playing a lot.
04:38He's played so many games in the last few weeks,
04:41and he had some issues,
04:43and we decided to take him off.
04:45OK, last two now.
04:46Sam, Telegraph.
04:46Hi, Mikael.
04:47Hi, Sam.
04:47Another player who looked at times
04:49to be in a bit of discomfort was Declan.
04:51I just wondered,
04:52I think people were surprised
04:53maybe he played the full 90 minutes.
04:54Was that always the plan,
04:55or did the game require it?
04:57Well, the game required,
04:59and he did.
05:00He was as well rested against Fleetwood,
05:02so he had a very good week to recover,
05:04and he's the second one that he played,
05:06not the fifth one,
05:07so we expect our players to be able to do that,
05:09and I think he had some very good moments throughout the game.
05:13And finally, just a gentleman here.
05:15Good evening, coach.
05:16I'm Jan from Czech News Agency.
05:18Would you say that Slavia is a better team than last year,
05:21maybe more experienced?
05:23I don't know, I think they are a really good side,
05:26and when we talk about the things that we didn't do in the second half,
05:29I think as well it's fair to say that they did a lot of good things,
05:32and it's an unbelievable team in terms of the spirit,
05:36and how connected they are constantly to the game,
05:38and how much belief they have in what they can produce,
05:41and they keep going,
05:42and they navigate this through different difficult periods throughout the game,
05:46and they wait for the moment,
05:48and it certainly costs us a lot of problems.
05:51Okay, thanks everyone.
05:53Safe journeys everyone.
