We were disappointed not to take something from Spurs
I think the first thing is that we were disappointed with the result (a 1-0 defeat). If I’m honest, we didn’t feel like we did enough to win it, but we also didn’t feel like we should have lost the game either.
In terms of the possession that we had, the areas we played in and the opportunities we created, we had three really good chances and needed to hit the target with those. So overall, I am disappointed with the result, but actually I was pleased with the shape, the set-up, and the way we went about the game.
There are obviously things to work on, particularly creating more clear-cut chances, but we’ve shown in pre-season that we’re capable of doing that. We just didn’t quite transfer it into the game, and we’ll be looking to improve on that on Friday.
Arsenal pose threats all over the pitch
You’re always expecting a team like Arsenal to have a lot of different attacking threats, with movements that really test your concentration and organisation. The longer games against them go on, the more obvious that becomes.
They’ve got plenty of players that can put the ball in the back of the net, so you can’t prevent everything, but we’ll work diligently to reduce the options they have.
For us, it’s also about what we do when we have the ball. Not necessarily always going forward, but how we control those parts of the game, keep our confidence, and make sure we impose ourselves when we’re in possession.