Arteta calm despite Arsenal's 2-0 PSG win
01/10/2024
uefa24
Emirate Stadium, London, UK
01/10/2024
uefa24
Emirate Stadium, London, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening, all. If you have a question, raise your hand and I'll come to you. Obviously
00:12headsets have got interpretation, French and English.
00:15No question? I'll come to Jordan.
00:21Mikel, congrats on the win, a great night. We feel only disappointed that you didn't
00:28kill the game off, we just felt at the beginning you were still alive.
00:31Yes, absolutely. Especially the way we played the first half. How determined, how brave
00:38we were, the quality that we showed against this kind of opponent to be so dominant, to
00:42score the two goals. And then we wanted a different second half probably, you know,
00:48to be that dominant and with the ball to be a bit more composed than we were. We had three
00:52big chances to score the third one and probably that would have killed the game. It didn't,
00:56I credit to them as well and the changes that they made, the adaptations that they made
01:00and the forces to play again in a different area of the pitch that obviously we had more
01:04problems as well after to win territory and to continue to play in the way we did the
01:09first half.
01:10And Havertz, when he's in this form, is he really unstoppable, just the way he's so powerful
01:14in the air?
01:16He's so powerful, but as well he's so intelligent. The way he occupies the spaces, the way he
01:19glides everything together, his work ethic. And now he's around the box and you have the
01:23feeling that he's going to score a goal. The goal was superb. I think overall the performance
01:27was really good as well from him. So really pleased with that.
01:31Is Jurrien Timber okay? Because it was a surprise when he came off after playing so well in
01:36the first half.
01:37Yeah, he was unbelievable in the first half, but he felt something muscular and he wasn't
01:42so I didn't want to take any risks. He's been out for a year, he's played a lot of minutes,
01:46probably more minutes than we wanted in the last few weeks, and we have to manage him.
01:52When do you start looking at the 36-team league table? Are you looking at it tonight or is
01:58it still too early to worry about that?
02:00It's too early I think as well. Everybody has to play a lot of different and difficult
02:05games home and away. We have to adapt to that. We don't still know how many points you need.
02:10The only thing you can focus on is to perform and try to win your own games, which we've
02:14done tonight, and carry on doing it and now focus on the Premier League.
02:18Do you feel there's the same jeopardy and significance to these early round games as
02:23there was last season in the four-team group?
02:26I don't know. We all want to be at the very top, to play less games and to have the capacity
02:32to have better draws. It's going to be a long journey I think.
02:35What do you think of Mikhail's comment?
02:44The players feel that we are in the right direction and they believe in what we do.
02:48It's a great sign. It's a night to be really happy because we play one of the best teams
02:54in the world for sure, and to be able to perform and win the way that we did, I think it's
03:01a really good sign for the team.
03:03Obviously a chance to give Mikhail Mourinho his debut tonight.
03:07How good was that and how do you think he got on?
03:09Really good because, as I said, he joined us in the first session and he got injured.
03:14He had only one session with us. He was really willing to be part of it today and obviously
03:21with the injuries and the changes that we had to make, we believe that he was the player
03:26that could have helped us in that phase and I think he's done really well.
03:30How do the players feel in terms of probably the Champions League now and beating a team
03:36like PSG at home, a very straight one, the way they sort of came out?
03:40What did you make of that?
03:42I think it raises the confidence and the belief that we can compete with any team at that
03:48level in European competitions, with European kind of games that are very different to the
03:53Premier League.
03:54I think we showed a lot of maturity in the way that we played.
03:58But as well, I think we put our stamp in the way that we want to behave in Europe against
04:03top teams and I really like that.
04:08Just a quick one on Ricardo Caligiuri.
04:10We've seen your full-backs inverting to midfield for quite some time now.
04:14At times in the first half it looked like he was playing like a number 10.
04:17Was that something you instructed him to do or was that something you took on?
04:20Yes, he has the capacity to occupy different spaces.
04:22He's really comfortable with that.
04:24He's already done that in Italy and that's why we signed him.
04:29First of all because he's a great defender.
04:31He's got this presence, this energy and this full commitment in the reaction that he does.
04:36And then he's really brave.
04:37He doesn't care in any situation.
04:40He wants the ball.
04:41He wants to make things happen with it and he's happy to play in different roles.
04:45I would like to ask you about Dejan Rijkaard.
04:48I mean, this season I would tell him to play from the very beginning.
04:52He's played more on the left than on the midfield.
04:54And he seems to be less involved than last season.
04:57For example, with the ball at least.
04:59He seems to be more involved in the centre.
05:02From outside at least to me.
05:04I would like to ask you what do you expect from him on that role?
05:07If it's similar to what we have seen in your deal with Piramidou,
05:10what do you expect from him on that role?
05:12If it's similar to what we have seen in your deal with Piramidou,
05:15for example,
05:16if you're happy with how he's been dealing with that play at the left of the midfield?
05:21Yeah, I'm very happy obviously.
05:22We have to understand the context of games that we played.
05:25For example, last Saturday when we played here,
05:29he was very dominant with the ball.
05:32I think he created one of the best stats that they were producing in the Premier League.
05:38But obviously we play different contexts
05:40and this player has got the capacity to play different kinds of games
05:43and it will still be very, very important for the team.
05:46Today we used him as a six as well in the second half.
05:49It's a great quality that he has as well,
05:51so he gives us so much.
05:54Hi, Mikel.
05:55You used the word maturity just now talking about your team.
05:58When you look at them before sending them out for a game like this,
06:01do you feel differently to last season in the Champions League?
06:04Do you think that they've found something new
06:07about how they want to attack this competition
06:09that maybe it was harder to do the first year back after so many years?
06:12I did.
06:13I sensed it differently yesterday as well,
06:15and the way we were preparing the game
06:17and how they wanted the level of focus.
06:19But I think they wanted to prove a point tonight as well
06:22that against these top teams at home,
06:24we can be ourselves and we can be very dominant as well.
06:27It's another step, we have to continue to do that.
06:30Last two, Tom.
06:31Just a similar theme,
06:32do you think the players needed a big win like this against a big team?
06:35Do you feel that belief that they can beat the biggest in the club?
06:38I think so, and it's great as well.
06:40It's a special night at the Emirates,
06:42a European night against big clubs.
06:44That belief is something that leaves the energy
06:47and leaves the spirit of everybody.
06:49First of all, it's about believing
06:51that you can face those incredible teams
06:53and you have a really good chance to beat them,
06:55and you are good enough to do that,
06:57so I think it's going to be very happy.
06:59And finally, Xabi.
07:00As Amy said, it was only your second season in the Champions League,
07:03but there seemed to be a bit of a calm and control
07:07about your team tonight, particularly in the second half,
07:10and they were maybe coming on to you a little bit more.
07:13That must have been something that impressed you.
07:15It did, and especially as well,
07:17because the result at half-time was similar to a few days ago,
07:20and then what happened, and managing emotion like that,
07:23and staying in the game in the way that we had to do,
07:26I was really impressed and happy with that,
07:28even though there were still, especially in the second half,
07:31things that we must do much better.
07:33Thanks.