Arteta calm despite Arsenal's 2-0 PSG win

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Arteta calm despite Arsenal's 2-0 PSG win  01/10/2024  uefa24  Emirate Stadium, London, UK

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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.

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