Arteta reacts to drawing against Brentford and injury ahead of Real Madrid

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reacts to drawing against Brentford and injury ahead of Real Madrid  12/04/2025  Emirates Stadium, London, UK

Transcript

00:00You had the chance to win that game, did you feel your team quite had the intensity

00:07to get over the line, especially after the equaliser?

00:10Well, after the equaliser, especially because we played with ten men, a lot.

00:14But even with ten men, I think we tried and we had two quite clear situations

00:19to finish the action better.

00:20I think we have to be critical with ourselves, especially the way we concede the goal.

00:24Against Brentford, you know what happens, you have a free kick,

00:27the goal is going to put it there, from there trying to get a throw-in,

00:30from there trying to get a corner, and then once you clear the ball,

00:33it's a second-ball game.

00:34In that second-ball game, we can defend the space close to the taker well enough,

00:38and then it's a lottery because they do that really well and it's our fault.

00:43Were you pre-planned when you were going to make your substitutions today

00:48because of load management, or were you reacting to the flow of the game?

00:54No, we had an idea because we know some players that we picked to end the starting line-up

00:58that they could not be able to finish the game,

01:00so we had two eyes open with that one.

01:03We didn't expect the issue with Thomas that we had to take him through,

01:07take him out, sorry, and then for sure we didn't expect what happened with Jorginho,

01:12that we ended up playing with ten men.

01:14Hi, Michael.

01:16Franklin seems to be playing in quite an advanced position today.

01:19He scored two goals in the league this season.

01:22Half of them two pre-kicks against Real Madrid,

01:24maybe what's the appetite for more from an attacking perspective?

01:28Yes, for sure.

01:29Every time you score a goal after you have the feeling,

01:31the next one you can score again.

01:33I think he had an unbelievable action as well in the goal we scored today,

01:36carrying the ball in open space to the right moment to release Thomas,

01:41and even one against the situation with the keeper,

01:44and I think he had a really strong performance again.

01:46He said about playing with ten men,

01:48what did you mean by that, playing with ten men across the game?

01:52That we had to play with ten men when Jorginho went out.

01:55James from CBS.

01:57James, CBS, and then we'll go to...

02:00Sorry, just picking up on Declan there and his performance,

02:06the running power he showed, was he still carrying that foot injury

02:09because of the sheer strength he showed across that game?

02:12No, he was fine yesterday.

02:13He trained with normality, wasn't feeling any pain,

02:16that's why we put him from the start.

02:19Mikel, just two things.

02:21Did you feel that what lies immediately ahead in Madrid

02:25was in the atmosphere today?

02:27I'm not saying in your own players' minds, but...

02:29I don't know, the atmosphere was different to Tuesday, that's for sure.

02:34I don't know if he was playing in the bag of the crowd.

02:37For us, as professionals, we know the importance of that.

02:40Today, what we wanted to do was increase the probability of us

02:43really challenging for what we are looking for in the Premier League.

02:46And with that result, obviously, it's more unlikely to happen.

02:50And just in terms of your own players, was it in their minds, can I ask?

02:54No, I think the players know that when you come to the Premier League

02:57and the opposition that we played today, how it's always going to be

03:00and what it requires and requires your best every time to win.

03:04And just quickly, the tackle on Martinelli in the first half,

03:06obviously we saw your reaction to that.

03:08Yeah, yeah.

03:09I mean, can you just talk a little bit about that, please?

03:12I think my reaction tells everything.

03:14Because it's the season of Champions League now, is it?

03:17As simple as that.

03:18I know mathematically you can win the Premier League, but it feels unlikely...

03:22Yeah, we still see games to play in the Premier League,

03:24which are going to be really important, but for sure now,

03:27it's all about Wednesday.

03:29What was Parton's injury?

03:32Sorry?

03:33What was Thomas Parton's injury?

03:34Yeah, he felt something, so we didn't want to take any risks.

03:37What was it?

03:38Something.

03:43Is the initial diagnosis of Thomas that you think will be OK for Wednesday?

03:47We don't know, I haven't spoken to the doctors yet,

03:49so they will check in now and see how he is.

03:51Just ask with Ben, obviously, in this year training,

03:53are you hoping he'll be OK for them?

03:55Again, we don't know,

03:56so he could not be in condition to be in the squad today and be selected,

04:01so we have a few days, but we have to wait and see.

04:04Is Jorginho's ribs or something?

04:05It looks like it, so I don't exactly know,

04:07but he had problems with breathing, so he could not carry on.

04:10OK, last couple.

04:11Athletic.

04:12Hi, Mikel.

04:13Sorry for another undepthment,

04:14but I was just going to ask,

04:15with that running power that James mentioned,

04:18obviously yesterday you said he had so many different tools

04:21to bring Arsenal up to the points.

04:23Is that one where, I guess,

04:26because you're not getting as many open situations as you did for that goal,

04:30you're not seeing as often,

04:31is there another reason why you might want to see it a bit more?

04:36Yeah, it depends on the opposition behaviour.

04:39I think the first time we have a few options.

04:41When we break the press,

04:43when they're just more man-orientated

04:45and they want to take more risk to open those spaces

04:48and certainly, as I said, this is a clear situation

04:51because there's a lot of space to run.

04:53Would there be players who you might reference as examples with him

05:00or is it just focusing about him as an individual?

05:04Well, he can always learn about best midfielders,

05:07the timing of their arrivals

05:08and how they have scored the goals,

05:09but I think he can focus on himself.

05:12And finally, Phil, Pia.

05:13You've obviously been so close to winning the league

05:15over the last couple of years.

05:16The gap by the end of tomorrow could be 13 points with six players.

05:19How frustrating is that for you?

05:21Do you think it's going to be difficult to bring the players up?

05:24Yeah, it is difficult,

05:26because obviously there are a lot of reasons why we are with that distance

05:29and the amount of things that we have to deal with.

05:34And still, we are where we are.

05:37But yeah, we want to be higher, that's for sure.

05:39OK, guys, thanks very much.

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