Every word from Arteta’s post-Newcastle presser | Press conference | News
After seeing us beat Newcastle United 1-0 to move back to the top of the Premier League, Mikel Arteta was soon in front of the media for his post-match press conference.
He was asked about the importance of the win, injuries, his emotions during the game, Ebere Eze’s influence and much more.
Here is everything he had to say:
on getting the victory but suffering injuries:
I’m really happy with the win. We talked about game one and how important that was. We probably should have finished it with a bigger margin in certain moments of the game. But when it’s 1-0, it’s always tough because they have quality, because they brought so many good players from the bench as well. When we don’t finish the action, especially the open ones that we had, the margin is going to be smaller. But in relation to the two players (Havertz and Eze), there are muscular niggles. We don’t think it’s too much. We have to wait and see if they’re going to be available for Wednesday.
on if he could take four games that emotionally draining:
Yes, we’re taking 50. How many have we played now? And we are where we are. I don’t expect after 22 years of not winning (the title) that it’s going to be a path of roses and beautiful music around it. It’s going to be like this and we are ready for it.
on every game in the Premier League being tough:
It is. It’s so hard to win in this league, we know that. That’s why the amount of points in the team that we have now compared to other years is different. And the reason is that it’s so competitive, so difficult to do it. We know at half-time the message was clear – we need to go and score the second goal. We tried but when you are not that efficient in certain areas, we have to have other things to win the game.
on Bukayo returning:
Great. I think he had a very good impact as well in the minutes that he’s played. He’s back, I think he looks sharp, he looks good, he looks fresh. You certainly notice something different in the team and in the stadium as well when he comes in, so we certainly need that.
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on easing him in gradually:
Let’s see how he reacts tomorrow, how he absorbs the load. He’s so keen, he’s so motivated, it’s the most beautiful part of the season, and he’s with us.
on putting pressure back on Man City:
We had to do what was in our hands and we discussed that game one is in our hands with what we do and how we approach the game. Are we able to win it? We’ve done it. We wanted bigger margins. It’s not been possible but we certainly did the job.
on what it’s like being on the touchline in games like this:
Just trying to play the game with the boys because I know the immense effort that they are putting in. I know how much they want it. When certain actions don’t go your way and I see the way they react and they know it. They just track back and they are so willing to be close to it, and I try to pass my energy on it and help them.
on potentially needing to score more than once:
You have two or three. We were much better, especially as we had some open situations to score the second goal, very clear. I have to say as well, in my opinion, it’s a clear red card. I watched it 10 times. If you have ever played football, it is a red card. It’s the second time in two games because against Manchester City when Kai Havertz goes through and Khusanov fouls him at 1-1, the title is there. It is a red card, guys. So these are the margins as well and hopefully that’s going to change.
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on why the referee didn’t give a red card:
I don’t know. They will have their opinion. I’m here to give my opinion. I’m someone who has been in the game for a long time, and you talk to any of the players because the trajectory, where the ball is, there’s no keeper there. If that were to happen the other way around, it’s a red card.
on if decisions are going against more than they’re going for us:
I’m saying it’s been the reality of the last two games in crucial moments when everything is at stake. We need everything to go our way and it hasn’t. I’m not making any excuses; I’m the first one to understand. I didn’t talk about it when we lost the game. I’m doing it when we won. It’s a red card today, it’s a red card in Manchester and the world is different. That’s it.
on our corner kick ability:
We have to adapt to everything that we do in the game. When the teams adapt to certain things, when the teams are so physical that they can defend naturally, you have to find other ways. The thing that I like best is the courage of the players. We played them short, and you can see the reaction in the crowd. The second one, we did it again. Ebs shoots with the left foot and puts it out. The third one, we’re up and we score. To have this, I was going to say another word, courage, big courage. In this moment, when the pressure is on, when the reaction is ready to play, that’s exactly what I want for the team. The players have to make the decisions and believe it’s the best.
on King’s Mercy:
Eze is a big player for us and he’s in a really good moment. He produced an incredible moment to score the goal. Hopefully he’s fit and he can be with us on Wednesday.
on Kai Havertz’s injury and if he’s spoken to him:
No haven’t, but he had a little niggle so I don’t know how serious it is. It didn’t look too big because the action, the way he describes it, is not too sharp, but I have to wait and see.
on if Martin Zubimendi was unwell:
Zubi was sick, and at half-time, he wasn’t feeling good. He tried his very best. He played a really good game, and in the end, we had to take him off.
on why Christian Norgaard hasn’t featured regularly:
Because these guys have been exceptional, I understand that. We had to leave two players out of the squad at the end, Mikel (Merino) is out and there were Christian and Richi (Calafiori), so that’s going to happen. As I said, if the Premier League allows us to have 20 or 22 players, we can have everybody involved and hopefully next season that will be the case.
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