After seeing us pick up a fourth win in a row by beating Manchester United 2-0 at Emirates Stadium, as usual Mikel Arteta tackled questions from the media in his post-match press conference.
He was asked about our set-piece dominance, injuries, bouncing back from recent setbacks and much more.
Here is everything he had to say:
on the performance:
Very happy. It's a very special night, celebrating 100 games in this incredible stadium against an opponent with so much history between the clubs and the teams. The way we played, especially after tweaking a few things for the second half and how dominant we were, how convincing we were, not really conceding apart from the save from David after a very sloppy throw-in, so a lot of positives.
on our success from set-pieces:
We need that. I think we want to be very dangerous and very effective from every angle and every face of play. We worked on all of that. Today we couldn't score from open play like we did against West Ham, against Sporting, so the team really has belief that from every angle we have the mentality to threaten the opponent and to try to score. Today was two set pieces, we constantly have threatening corners.
on the position of the team in the league table:
We don’t think at half-time where we are. I think we have to look at our own business, try to perform as we are at the moment and find ways to win the game. I think the team deserves a win again today which is very good and what the opposition does we cannot control that. You can see week in, week out even if teams are winning how difficult it is for everyone.
on whether there is a strategy to win more corners:
We play with inverted wingers so they develop a lot as well a lot of times inside. There’s not a lot of space inside, so when they leave there’s a lot of space for the full-back, and for the six and for the nine and now you can go outside, so we need to look at every angle: what they [opponents] do, where they can be weak, and where we can exploit the weakness of the opposition.
on the crowd building tension before we take corners:
The stadium's reaction is something we didn’t plan. It’s because they have belief in the same way they react when we’re in high press and we are with the ball because they know what we can do. It creates that connection and that belief and is easier for the players to deliver because that noise creates good things in us and difficult things in the opposition.
on the constant evolution of our set-pieces:
I think last year we scored the most goals in the history of this football club, not because only the set-pieces but because a lot of things that we have. We want to create individual moments, magic moments, a lot of players can create their own goals. We can create goals on short counters, long counters, against slow build-ups, when we have to have restarts and the opportunity to open the opposition. Every single phase of play, just maximise it and keep working on it, keep improving.
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on sending a message to the rest of the league:
I don’t know, we want to have the right to win the games and if we perform the way we perform right now, we are going to win a lot of games. But now it is about Fulham, we have to go there and we know the experience of last season. We’re going to have to prepare really well to earn the right to win there and continue to do that, the rest we don’t know.
on Kiwior and Zinchenko’s performance tonight:
Big credit to Jakub and Alex, I think it’s the first start for Jakub after a long time, you have to be thrown against this kind of opposition this kind of front players. The same with Alex, they did magnificently well so great. We trust them, they prepared so well, they had the opportunity and they grabbed it with both hands so very pleased for the team.
on Gabriel and Calafiori’s injuries:
Gabi was a big risk to play today because he felt something against West Ham. Sunday is going to be a possibility with Riccardo as well, let’s see how he reacts.
on the resilience of the squad to overcome a winless run:
The will to win is there, they try, we try all our best to do that. It’s true we went through a lot in that period, the schedule and the opposition that we played, a lot of things and that’s the thing you have to react. It’s about trying to do it next, today we have won four in a row but it doesn’t matter we have to go to Fulham now and be better than them to try to win the game. It’s every three days, it’s a crazy schedule, we’re going to need everybody and mentally be very strong because you’re going to have to go through those moments.
on whether we use negativity as a fuel for positivity:
Me personally, no. I don’t know the team. There is no more fuel for my own to have the desire to work as much as I can in the most efficient way to try to win and help these boys enjoy what they do and give them the chance to win games.
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