Mikel Arteta spoke to the press following our 2-0 victory over Brentford at Emirates Stadium.
Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka did the damage in the latest London derby and following the win in N5, Mikel assessed the result and gave an update on a host of players.
Here’s everything he said:
on rotating the Starting XI:
Rest, that’s quite a positive word to use. We had to make some changes, we had a very demanding week at every level, emotionally, physically, what the game demanded. The tactical and technical aspect of it, we were asked to play three days later, one less recovery than them, and still performing the way that we’ve done it against a team that is super well coached, very well organised, and they are very clear about how they want to generate big chances and they are really good at doing that. So 1-0, we knew it wasn’t enough, I don’t think we conceded anything apart from the save that we had to make on the corner. But the game was always open and we needed that extra energy to close it, and maybe when we didn’t have it, we had the courage to take the ball under pressure and to start to break their press through very good movement and purpose with the ball to go and score the second goal and win the game.
on injuries during the game:
Yes, obviously it’s never good news, Declan [Rice] had to come off, we don’t know, we’ll have to see tomorrow what he’s got. [Cristhian] Mosquera is the other one that is out, obviously we have big Gabi and Willy [Saliba] out as well. So we have to adapt, it’s been a theme this season, but when I look at the players that haven’t been playing much, for example Ben White, the performance that he had on Martin [Odegaard] and he’s been out and he puts 96 minutes under his belt straight away. Noni, the same, Viktor [Gyokeres] is coming and now he’s getting some minutes as well. So I’m very pleased to see that.
on Mikel Merino’s performance:
He was immense again I think today. The way he scored the ball, super smart. His timing, the way he wins the position and execution. But after his overall performance, with the ball, without the ball, I remember an action that he passed the ball to Martin in behind. Martin doesn’t chase it, he makes 40 metres to chase it to the corner flag and goes back, wins the ball back. He is everywhere and his goal with that really good momentum at the moment and he makes the team much better.
on Declan Rice’s fitness:
Talking about fans and support, I asked them to be here at 7.30, I think they were earlier. So thank you so much to all of them for being with us because we needed that energy today. He could not carry on playing, so we have to wait and see tomorrow what happens.
on picking up another clean sheet:
We talked about that. I think it was four games that we didn’t manage to do that for different reasons. We conceded from a set-piece against Chelsea and against Sunderland as well. The other ones are a little bit different. Today we probably should have conceded a goal if it was not for David [Raya] as well and the save that he’s made, but I think apart from that we didn’t really concede that much.
on Cristhian Mosquera’s injury:
We have to wait and see. It’s probably the knee or ankle. We don’t know. He could not really tell us exactly how it was, but he wasn’t able to continue.
on Merino’s role in the team:
I said it earlier in the press conference. It’s curiosity and his will to learn and probably his will to help the team. He knew that we had a major problem from the beginning of the season. We lost Viktor, Kai was out and Gabriel Jesus was out. So we needed a solution. He did it last year really, really well. I think this season he’s probably taking it to another step because he’s able to do even more things. So I think the team is really grateful and he’s enjoying it.
on Ben White’s performance:
Personally, I think I’m very, very happy for him as a human being. I think the rest of the team is the same because he’s a player who has always played for us, and sadly, because of the right reasons, he wasn’t playing that much because Jurrien was excellent, and he was out for a while, and then he needed to earn his place. But his attitude has been so positive, so good. Then when you are ready and you’re given the opportunity, you take it like he did today. So I’m very happy that we have him back in the best version of himself as well, and we’re going to need him because he’s a tremendous player.
on the 90 minutes as a whole:
I think we had three big chances to score the second one. We didn’t do it, and then when we were going for the second one, the game became a little bit open. We started to be a bit late in certain moments in the high press, they break it and the pitch is stretched. Then we needed to be a bit more compact. But I think we went through that period really well when we started to take the ball and do what we had to do with the ball to bring the momentum down, bring the composure and the ball to the areas that we wanted to attract them and to use the open spaces that they left and score a second goal.
on if Ben White is back to his best:
The first thing as a defender, he defends and defends with that purpose and with that determination and efficiency. He’s done that today. Then if he can add the value that he can add with the ball through his passing, through his movement and through the deliveries that he can put with the quality that he has, so be it, and today I think he’s done both very well.
on David Raya’s save:
I thought it was in, because they are so good at that as well. It’s a big moment again.
on Merino’s versatility:
Yes, I think that’s a lesson. I took that lesson because the whole summer I was thinking, if we bring in a nine, what was going to happen with Gabi Jesus and Kai [Havertz]? I had a lot of nines. I like them so much as well. What are we going to do? How are we going to handle it? So far we haven’t had a problem because they’ve been injured. So live the present, live the moment and deal with the situation when it comes.
on the fixture schedule:
It’s probably not one thing, but we can help the players and everybody in the league and everybody to do what we have to do, give it another day. Especially the teams that are playing so much in Europe. To everybody in general, I think we can do that because we’re going to benefit to that. We never had such a schedule on every level, not only in the Premier League, but every competition internationally as well. So we need to try to do that, please. I think it’s common sense. I think at some point this becomes too much, you know, and the players are not machines. But we have to try to do that when we can.
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