After we beat Ipswich Town 4-0 at Portman Road, Mikel Arteta held his post-match press conference to discuss all the afternoon’s talking points.
He spoke about our attacking threat, the incident that led to Leif Davis being sent off, a milestone goal for Gabriel Martinelli and more.
Here is everything he had to say:
on the performance:We’re really happy with the performance. I think the first 35 minutes is one of the best 35 minutes we’ve played this season, at the back of the game in Madrid, and we scored two goals – we could have scored three or four to be fair. We really dominated the game, very high intensity and understanding what we had to do today to win here. When they got the red card, the context of the game changed and we were in control, scored another two goals and made certain rotations. So overall a very positive afternoon.
on whether Leandro Trossard would start against PSG:
He’s certainly ready to play in any position – we have to make certain adjustments, not because of PSG, but because of the situation we had as well with Thomas [Partey] and a few other players. But that’s good because the team shows adaptability and versatility for certain players to play in different positions. That’s very much needed, especially when we have the numbers we have at the moment.
on the challenge Bukayo Saka sustained in the first half:The referee made a decision, that is clear. He was a bit sore but it’s nothing serious, so that’s good.
on Saka and Martin Odegaard’s performances:
I think they were very good, both of them – Bukayo didn’t score but he contributed to a few goals, the same with Martin. So, overall I think collectively we were very, very strong today as well.
on whether the boss was worried it was a serious injury for Saka:
I do, especially with the numbers we have right now and especially when [tackles] are with your back to goal because normally it’s the moment when the foot is planted, your weight is there and you cannot really react to it, but he’s fine.
on if we will rotate on Wednesday night against Crystal Palace:
We have to somehow put 11 players out there and have four or five changes. Let’s see how they recover in the next few days. The good thing is they are willing to play because they like the rhythm as well. We are so used to that rhythm every three days that the boys are demanding and then we don’t have a game on the weekend. We have a gap there, so let’s see how we get there on Wednesday.
on being able to play with fluidity down the right side with Ben White’s return:
I’m very happy for Ben because he’s missed a lot of football. He’s been so consistent and regular in the last few seasons with us and this season, for different reasons, he hasn’t been able to play that many minutes. Today, I think he played a really good game so I’m very happy because he’s got a lot of quality. He brings something else to that unit and it was good to finally see them.
on Leandro Trossard pulling out to the right-hand side during the game:We have to adapt and put players in positions and in situations that can be very difficult to control for the position and can create a threat from our side.
on our intensity:
That’s what we discussed before the match and that’s the way they described it, and to be more intense than them and actually what does that mean. It has to be very intense, intense in terms of your focus, your level of attention, to understand one, two, three seconds before what’s going to happen and then act. I think the team was very much at it from the beginning.
on Mikel Merino’s display in midfield:
That’s where he’s played his whole career! But obviously we have a very short memory sometimes and we see him as a nine and it was almost strange to see him in midfield – I think he did really well.
on if the tackle on Saka could have been worse:
I haven’t seen it in slow motion, I’ve just seen the normal pace image and yeah, he cuts him from the back. I don’t think it’s intentional at all but obviously it’s dangerous because he cannot really react to anything because you cannot see him coming.
on Gabriel Martinelli getting his 50th goal for us:
That’s great – I think he’s in very good form at the moment, full of confidence, looks really sharp as well and he’s arriving in very dangerous situations with very good timing which is good to see.
