Every word from Arteta’s post-Brentford presser | Press conference | News
We left west London with a point after being held to a 1-1 draw against Brentfod and after the game, Mikel Arteta spoke with the press.
Noni Madueke headed us in front before Keane Lewis-Potter levelled for the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Here’s everything Mikel had to say in his press conference:
on the result:
Well, I think the game had different moments. The first 10-15 minutes we lacked certain composure to dominate the game better. I think after that we started to play much more in our way and started to play in their half and generated some good situations without really having clear-cut chances. The second half, the way we started, we really looked to threat. The way we combined, the way we threat constantly their backline and the goalkeeper, it was much better. Again, without really hitting the target enough times or finishing enough actions, and then we scored the goal and the game was under total control.
But against them, that’s not enough, because they just need somebody making a foul that is unnecessary. A ball in the channel, they push you. The clearance is not good, ball goes for a throw-in. Then you have to pray, because they are exceptional at what they do. The chaos that is in and around that ball is very, very difficult to defend, and we said, you want to win here, you’re going to have to defend the box with your life, and you’re going to have to clear the ball, because there’s a lot of people there, and if you don’t do that, it’s very difficult for you to win the game. We haven’t done it in one of the actions. Credit to them as well for that, and then the game became more open, more transitional. They had one of the big chances and the clearance of Declan [Rice] just at the end, and we have two very good counters and probably the biggest chance of the game when Martinelli is 1v1 with the keeper to win it.
on if Martinelli had to score:
You have to. It’s football, and the keeper, as well, can make the decision and the action that he did. But if you want to win here, you’re going to have to be really ruthless in both boxes, and today we lacked that.
on the reason for the half-time change:
Because with the way, especially that they were pressing, I think we needed another kind of profile to generate many more problems for them around those areas, and I think he [Odegaard] came on in the pitch really well and the team had another gear and more threat to arrive to the areas that we wanted to do and that decision.
on Eberechi Eze:
Well, I think he had moments and it’s not easy when you move to a new club. It’s always like this, and when you play against a team that is like this and the ball is a lot of times not on the floor and you have to be constantly breaking the play and do that, especially for attacking and creative players, it’s more difficult.
on playing after Manchester City:
I think we played as well after them a few times this season and we have won the games. Today is not about that. Today we lacked certain things against them. You have to defend those situations, even better, prevent them. You want to give them no chance or just hope that something bad happens. We didn’t manage that well enough for us probably.
on if he takes a positive from the game:
It has to be every action, because they go for volume. They know the probability of what they want to create and they need volume to increase that probability. They are constantly doing that – and they’re really good at doing that.
on Brentford’s style:
They’re really good, because when they have to play it around as well, there are so many areas in their high press where they are really good. They are exceptional when they have to counter, as well. They have a lot of qualities, and credit to them. They can take the game into the areas, they are really well coached, and from the beginning I said credit to them for what they do – because they don’t have the home record and aren’t in the position they are in the league [without it], that’s for sure.
on staying calm:
That’s what we have to do. I mean, we’re going to be willing and preparing to win every single match, and the only thing we can do is focus on that. We need to raise the levels, collectively and individually, to be better than the opponent every week. That’s going to carry on like this until May. They’re the things we have to do, and that’s the most important thing.
on the title race:
I understand [the points gap could be bigger], but that’s ‘if, if, if’. If we’d lost at Newcastle, we’d have been eight points behind Liverpool in October. So, ‘if, if’, there are a lot of ‘ifs’ over 10 months in this competition. You can only focus on what you have to do, and try to do that in the best possible way.
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