Arteta on Raya heroics in 0-0 draw with Atalanta

NicheSportMedia

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reacts to their 0-0 UEFA Champions League draw with Atalanta in which goalkeeper David Raya performed heroics to save a point Bergamo, Italy

Transcript

00:00After a good first half by yours and after the penalty save by Raya, did you expect something

00:23more by your team in the second half?

00:27Yes, I think we started the game really well, the first 20-25 minutes. We read their approach

00:32very good, I think we played especially with the ball in the right areas with the right

00:37intention and we were effective on them without creating too many clear cut chances. After

00:42that we lost control of the game because we were very inconsistent with the ball, giving

00:47a lot of simple balls away.

00:49That against a team that are man to man obviously, because you transition moments, because the

00:52moment you lose your man there is space and you are in equal numbers in the back line

00:57or overloaded.

00:58Defensively we didn't suffer, that's the reality, but obviously after the second half

01:03we get a penalty away and I witnessed two of the best saves that I've probably seen

01:08in my career with David, two saves from that moment. After that the game continued in the

01:14same way that after the first 25 minutes, very inconsistent with the ball, we had moments

01:22but we never got it into dominance or threat and then we had a big chance from Guy Martinelli

01:27to win the game, that unfortunately didn't go in. So a lot to improve.

01:41Do you feel that he's almost got a new way of being this season? Maybe the fact that

01:47Ramsdell has gone, he is the man, there's none of that stuff from last season. Is that

01:52liberating for him?

01:53That's a question for him but certainly last year was already very impressive and really

01:58good, even with a different context for sure. But this season he's started exceptional.

02:04I think the save that he made against Villa today kept us in the game, that's the reality

02:10and you need that for your keeper at this level. I'm really happy that he's in the

02:15form that he's in at the moment.

02:21Do you think he's the best goalkeeper in the world right now, is there a better goalkeeper

02:25than him right now?

02:26I don't know. I haven't seen all the goalkeepers but at the moment he's been exceptional for

02:31us, that's for sure.

02:32At the end I noticed you were telling the players to calm down rather than trying to

02:35go forward and get the win. Is that a lesson learnt from last year in Porto where it was

02:39nil-nil tight, maybe not playing your best and then lost it in the last second. Is that

02:42a lesson you've learnt from last season?

02:43It's a really tricky game emotionally to play because you are all man-orientated so every

02:47action counts in your emotions. When we had certain moments that it didn't go our way

02:55I could sense it. The team was a little bit about to lose, especially the discipline that

03:00this requires. I think we showed more maturity than last year. We could not see a way tonight

03:06to win it, at least don't lose it. But it's not certainly the message I want to send to

03:11the team.

03:13Is there any concern heading into City that the attack isn't flowing as well as it has

03:24been last season, the start of this season? No goal from open play now in two games.

03:31We want to improve in certain areas but in order to do that the simple thing has to be

03:35much better. We never got in the right distances, in the right relationship when we did two

03:41or three times. You need the fourth pass against Man to Man in order to open them up

03:45and get the ball to the areas that they really suffer, like we did a couple of times. But

03:49you need to do it much more consistently if you want the team to flow because if not it's

03:53constantly that flow is breaking and we make it very difficult because on top of that you

03:58don't travel together so then you're not in the right areas as well to apply pressure

04:02in the way that we are so effective to do. So there are obviously things to improve.

04:08Last season it was nil-nil at the Etihad. Do you feel as though this season you need

04:12to go that one step further, show that initiative to really lay down a marker in this title

04:16race?

04:17For sure. We're going to prepare the game to win, that's for sure, like we've done tonight.

04:21And that's been the message already. In order to do that there are going to be things that

04:25we're going to have to do much better than tonight and some things that we've done exceptionally

04:29well tonight do them as well because we're going to have the performance that we all

04:33know to beat them.

04:38Is there anything you're going to do especially to prepare for tonight's game?

04:45Well, we always look at the individual as the biggest strength that they have and how

04:51we can nullify that and expose any areas that we can, that's for sure. Like, no difference.

04:57And just something on the two central defenders that have been outstanding this season. Do

05:01you think that they're among the best partnership in the world? Do you think that they can continue

05:07this form?

05:08Well, I think they're in a great moment. I think they've been best in the last two seasons

05:12together. There is an unbelievable chemistry there, you can sense it, and it gave us a

05:16lot because tonight I thought that they were both exceptional as well.

05:19Hi, Mikel, on Sunday we'll see obviously Gabriel and Saliba take on Haaland again. In the last

05:25three times between the two match-ups Haaland hasn't scored. Isn't that such a key match-up

05:30and is it key to obviously keep Haaland at bay again?

05:34Well, when you see the stats and the amount of goals that he scores, certainly it's one

05:38of the main things and one of the main sources that you want to stop if you don't want to

05:42concede goals.

05:43And with Jesus, we saw him return, he started tonight. What kind of role could he play this

05:47weekend against his old team, Man City?

05:50Well, the same as the others. Be ready, be in the best possible condition because we're

05:54going to need everybody in that kind of game. Last year he started there and he did a really

06:00good performance and we need everybody fit and available.

06:04And finally to Mikel.

06:05Hi, Mikel. Just in relation to that point about chances in these two games, obviously

06:09people will focus on Martin, but with some of this tactical, given it was away games

06:14against two pressing teams, are you concerned about that at all?

06:18About, sorry?

06:19About maybe the lack of chances in open play?

06:22Yeah, we want to generate more for sure. That's no question. I was very open discussing that.

06:27But the chances have to be created because the process has to be good and it's been very

06:32intermittent and that's what we need, consistency.

06:35OK, everyone. Good night.

Category

Transcript

Recommended