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Arteta compares Saka and Odegaard to Xavi and Iniesta
NicheSportMedia
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03/12/2024
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta compares Saka and Odegaard to Xavi and Iniesta
03/12/2024
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
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Sports
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00:00
When you first joined five years ago, in that first game at Bournemouth,
00:04
prior to playing left-back,
00:06
did you think then, oh, this guy's going to be a killer right winger?
00:10
That day, no, but I think day by day,
00:14
the moment that I start to understand and see the skill set
00:18
and the relationship that he could generate in the team,
00:22
I was convinced that long-term, medium-term,
00:25
that was in his position and the team needed another kind of threat,
00:29
creativity, and that he could provide those moments.
00:32
And slowly we were moving, first to the left, then to the right,
00:36
and then we started to see naturally that it was the position
00:39
that he was feeling more comfortable in, and we were consistent there.
00:43
Obviously, as a teenager then, still finding his way,
00:45
and now he's an established, senior player,
00:48
how has he changed as a person behind the scenes in those five years?
00:53
Well, you can tell, you know, the way he presents himself,
00:58
the way he talks, the decisions that he makes,
01:01
that he's got a massive role in the team,
01:04
he's the main figure with two or three players at the club,
01:08
and he plays for the national team,
01:11
he's a very established player right now
01:12
and he's decided how much is for us,
01:14
so he has earned the right to act and be that way,
01:18
but at the same time he's still so humble, close and charming to everybody.
01:22
Jordan?
01:24
How do you feel about again being in an era where Man Utd and Arsenal
01:27
are back at the top of the table competing?
01:29
Well, they were competing and they were the main two teams,
01:31
so obviously when you are fighting to get that cup at the end,
01:36
yeah, the tension raises, I think certain individuals as well
01:42
made it very, very special, you know, and you cannot force that, you know,
01:46
and we are trying together, I'm sure we're going to be trying together,
01:51
and let's see what happens in the future.
01:53
Is it hard for those rivalries to be born
01:55
because there are so many other clubs competing?
01:57
Because right now it's Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and maybe Chelsea.
02:00
Yeah, well, that league and this league there's no comparison,
02:04
obviously in the amount of teams that they have the capacity to win it
02:08
and challenge it, it wasn't that open for sure.
02:11
And because it was very reckless first,
02:13
and there was a lot of sometimes hatred
02:15
and there was a lot of bust-ups on and off the pitch,
02:18
maybe that's changed now because there are younger managers involved in the game,
02:21
do you think for the game itself and for the spectacle
02:23
it would be nice to see a bit more of that?
02:25
Or would you like to have it out of the game?
02:28
I don't know, I saw a lot of respect as well there,
02:31
and I was lucky to have Arsene here
02:35
and the way he was talking always about Sid Alex and his teams
02:38
and the way he conducted himself, he was top.
02:41
And that was a lesson as well, because you really want to win,
02:44
but as well you have to accept that the opponent can be better,
02:47
and if you can be better than the opponent, then you have to continuously move on.
02:51
Ed, Guardian.
02:53
Just on the attacker, you mentioned that his chemistry with the team has improved,
02:58
in particular with Milo, obviously since he's come back,
03:01
those two have an amazing chemistry together.
03:03
Have you ever seen players that have got such a good understanding with each other,
03:07
where people work with a pair that have got such a great partnership?
03:12
Yeah, they are, but they can be obviously in this case,
03:14
because they are an attacking midfielder and a winger.
03:17
I've seen centre-backs, I've seen midfielders between them,
03:20
I just think about Barcelona, with Xabi Busquets and Iniesta,
03:24
it was something else, they didn't even need to look at themselves,
03:28
but our two centre-backs as well, naturally there is a chemistry there that is unbelievable.
03:33
So try to develop those more and more, because there is something there
03:36
that is very difficult to put a number to it, but it flows in a natural way,
03:41
and the more relationships like this you have in the team, the better.
03:44
And just on Martin, you mentioned that the players have a lot of trust in him,
03:48
how important is he to the rest of the squad now,
03:52
chasing down Liverpool, a bit of a deficit, to have that belief that you can do that?
03:57
Yeah, obviously, he brings an energy and a stamina,
04:01
a quality that is very difficult to see,
04:04
and when I talk about that trust, it's because he ends it every single day,
04:07
the way he conducts himself, the way he talks to people,
04:11
and the way he's constantly pushing each other to get the standards as high as possible,
04:16
and that's something that obviously he hasn't done overnight,
04:19
so credit to him because he has earned it.
04:22
Do you think is there anybody else in the team that gives you that?
04:24
Or when he's not there, is there anybody else that can stand in for him?
04:27
Is that another reason why he's so important?
04:30
There are many others in different ways as well,
04:32
Martin has his own way of doing Buckeyes,
04:35
Jorginho has his own way, Thomas has his own way,
04:37
Gavis, Alivar, David, you know, there is a lot.
04:41
David?
04:42
Hi, Miguel.
04:43
Hi.
04:44
In those few victories, have you noticed anything different for the team
04:47
compared to what things were doing as a team?
04:50
Well, first of all, the efficiency in the last 20 metres, for sure,
04:55
and then the fact that winning and scoring a goal,
04:59
being up front and scoring two or three,
05:01
obviously changes the dynamic of the game,
05:03
instead of going behind or feeling a little bit more restricted
05:06
in certain ways after not winning a football match or two.
05:09
Do you think you need to reach another level to maybe,
05:13
because of Liverpool?
05:14
Sorry?
05:16
Do you think you as a team need to reach another level
05:18
maybe because of Liverpool?
05:20
Yeah, well, the level is to win, win, win, win, win and win, that's it.
05:23
So we haven't done that this season yet,
05:26
we have won a lot of games, not at the level of Liverpool,
05:29
so there is another level for sure.
05:31
OK, last couple now, we'll go to James first and then Alan.
05:34
Against West Ham, we saw, before Gabby's goal,
05:38
we saw him basically call a huddle
05:41
and he was almost like an NFL quarterback calling the shot
05:45
and saying, this is what's going to happen, this is what we're going to do.
05:47
Is he just relaying information from Nicolas
05:51
or have you given him the permission or ability
05:56
to be the person who calls those setbacks?
05:59
I'm wondering how that worked.
06:01
In relation to the phase of play that we have,
06:03
obviously there are certain players that are accountable to pass information,
06:07
to read clues and to understand what we have to do and then communicate.
06:11
Is it him coming for that one?
06:13
Is it him in that situation thinking, I think we should do this move here?
06:17
Not only him, there are a few, yeah.
06:19
Just lastly, Ruben is coming into a club with great expectation,
06:25
having hit the ground running, something that you had to do coming here,
06:31
how difficult is that to do and what as a manager do you have to do
06:37
to rebuild that club or build that club in your image?
06:43
I don't know, I think what he mentioned,
06:45
have a very strong belief that he's the right man first of all to do it
06:49
and then be very consistent in your thoughts and put into practice
06:54
and make sure that everybody follows you.
06:57
OK, finally, Alex.
06:59
The key to Saka and Oligar's relationship,
07:02
when Martin was missing, Saka was having a lot more attention from defenders
07:07
on him joining those games, but obviously Martin being there,
07:09
does that free up Saka and is that why in the past three games
07:13
we've seen him getting a little bit to the end?
07:15
Well, everything has an effect and obviously the opponent as well.
07:19
I'm sure they plan how to stop certain qualities or certain threats that we have
07:25
and our job is to try to find all the mechanisms to continue to be a threat
07:29
in those spaces or in other spaces.
07:31
OK, thanks, everyone.
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