Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta deflated after losing 0-1 with 10 men
22/02/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
22/02/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
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00:00I'm just wondering what the atmosphere was like in the changing room after that, it must
00:07have been quite difficult to pick them up off the ground?
00:09Yeah, very disappointed, obviously very angry as well. I think you have to congratulate
00:17West Ham for the victory and the game that they played, but as well I think a lot from
00:22our side that we never were right and didn't allow us to get enough momentum, enough sequence
00:29of play with positive action that could deliver into situations of threat for them and even
00:34though all the ball that we had and 20 shots of that, I never felt that we were at the
00:39standards and the level that we needed. First of all to have more threat and then to allow
00:44them to run because we lost a lot of balls that we allowed West Ham to run in very dangerous
00:49positions.
00:50So when you say anger, it's anger yourself?
00:52Yeah, we have to be, I hope we are very much because we didn't hit the levels today and
00:58I am very much responsible of that so I am very, very angry.
01:04I think people look at the forwards and injuries and think that must be why?
01:10No, no and I refuse that completely because I'm talking about the standards of the players
01:17and the team that we played today, me included, and that was nowhere near the levels that
01:23we have to hit to have the opportunity to win a Premier League. Today, no. We were very
01:28consistent, yes, but football is about what you do today and today, nowhere near.
01:33Just on Ethan, he seemed to be limping a bit when he came off, is he injured?
01:39No, hopefully not, it was just fatigue I think.
01:42Tom Football, sorry James, Tom Football.
01:45Hi Mikel, earlier you mentioned that you're not happy with the level, you were very vocal
01:51in the January window about, you felt you were short and Mourinho is up front today,
01:56do you feel like the fact that there was a struggle to score indicates in some way why
02:00you were so vocal about wanting a second win?
02:02No, no, no, honestly, again, I think we have to look in the mirror of ourselves of what
02:07we can do better, what we've done and the will and the desire and the way we run and
02:13the way we won it, zero question about that. But at that level, this is not enough. You
02:17have to deliver and it has to be with a lot of quality to break a really good team down,
02:22to win many more games than we have done and to put actions that can end up in really threatening
02:28moments for the position to win the games and today we haven't done that.
02:32So what do you have to do now to change that, for the game against Florida?
02:35First of all, suffer. 24, 48 hours, suffer and feel the pain and make sure that we come
02:44back on Monday with that bite and that anger still in the tummy for Wednesday.
02:51Can you say you included?
02:54No, me first, sorry.
02:56Personally, what do you think you included?
02:58It's my responsibility, the team to play much better than we did today, much better. We
03:02have to play much better, with much more person, much more quality, much more interaction,
03:06much more, not enough. That's on me.
03:10Do you think you got your team selection wrong?
03:13I wouldn't, I would do the same, I would put it in the same team.
03:17But when you lose, you get it wrong. The tactics, the intentions, everything but that's what
03:24I felt so I have to do what I feel. After it's too late.
03:28You said on Friday about getting re-energised for the title race, are you worried about
03:35the impact that a result like this will have on the energy of the team to go again and
03:39go again and keep believing?
03:40Hopefully a positive one because it's already very negative what the result brings and the
03:45consequences to that. So hopefully very positive that we understand that we need to raise the
03:50level.
03:51Before the game started, could you see the game falling the way it unfolded?
03:57No, especially the way we trained all week, no. But this is football. Sometimes you see
04:02the warm-up and you say they are flat and then the game starts and we are flying. I
04:06think the way we started the game and how imprecise we were with the ball and giveaways
04:10and never got there, I think affected. But guys, we have 70, 80, 90 minutes to overcome
04:15that and we certainly tried. But it wasn't enough today.
04:19How much does it dampen what's done and the way they've played?
04:21That's the first thing that I said. They see that we are not there and they start to have
04:27more belief and they have the opportunity to run one or two times and score against
04:30the ball. It gets you out of trouble when the situation is locked, it unlocks the situation
04:34and then the spaces are open. You have to do that and then before half-time there is
04:38a moment that we have them and suddenly they score the goal and it gives them more belief.
04:44So, again, credit to them.
04:46Before wins tomorrow, the gap will be 11 points. Do you think that gap is manageable?
04:57It's not in our hands. For me, I'm really, really annoyed with the things that are in
05:02our hands that we didn't do as well as we possibly could and that's the performance
05:07and the result today.
05:09How do you interpret that incident? Any complaints from you?
05:16No, I haven't seen it back but, honestly, I would focus on what we have to do. I don't
05:22know if the decision was right or wrong. I haven't seen it. I don't want to evaluate
05:25it. But a lot of the things that we should have done better today, it wasn't.
05:29It was a great season but he's still 18 years old. Is that a moment of maybe a bit of naivety
05:35there and a learning moment for him?
05:37I don't know. I have to see the action back to evaluate it.
05:41On the fans, towards the end when you were pushing to score, there seemed like a lot
05:46of frustration, particularly where I was sitting, and anger. Did you feel that? And also, is
05:51that something that can affect your players when you're pushing for a goal and you've
05:54got 10 men? Do you need that support? It felt like it was quite an anxious and furious atmosphere.
06:00I understand as well that we won it and we are trying so hard and going against a lot
06:07of things and we had a great opportunity today and we don't deliver it. I think that's human.
06:12You asked me many times what is the ideal and what the team needs and how we overcome
06:17certain deficiencies that we have in the squad. It's them being in every single ball. That's
06:23my dream but I'm not here to demand that to the crowd.
06:36you