Here is every word from Mikel Arteta’s press conference after Arsenal knocked Ipswich Town out of the Carabao Cup
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta faced the press after the battering delivered to Ipswich Town
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta faced the press after the battering delivered to Ipswich Town(Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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Mikel Arteta spoke to the press after Arsenal knocked Ipswich Town out of the League Cup. The win came courtesy of two goals from the brilliant teen sensation Max Dowman.
Marli Salmon also put in a massive performance at the back, and the youngsters really did manage to outshine their senior counterparts. There were, however, some top performances from others, including Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Mikel Merino.
Now the attention turns to Brighton on Saturday, and Arteta had Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Piero Hincapie missing from the side that won at Sunderland. There are some worrying question marks over the depth of his options now in the back line.
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Here is every word the Arsenal manager said:
On the win and the performance
I'm really pleased with a lot of things that we've done tonight. The way we attacked the game, how dominant, fluent and aggressive we were right from the beginning to try to influence the results. We scored two very early goals that gave us obviously a great platform for the game. And yeah, individually some big performances as well, some debuts tonight which is great to see as well. So we take a lot of positives from the night.
I asked you after Sunderland if we'd seen Max, we did see Max. We saw him score two special goals, it must be an incredible achievement seeing a player come through and make such a big impact to this level.
A joy to have him, Marli as well, a 16-year-old, to play at the level with the physicality they have to be able to handle that level. It's remarkable. And Max, yeah, it's inevitable to talk about him when he scores and he creates the moments that he has created tonight. It's normal.
Just on Max, last year when he played at Mansfield, the pitch was really bouncy and wobbly.
Not for him.
And he had that kind of shimmy that right away could play his name. The Everton goal as well, for him to have that so often, how impressive is that? And also the defensive side of this game, the second goal where he pressures the goalkeeper.
That's something very natural for him, and he can deliver those actions effortlessly, I would say. That's his biggest quality. And defensively, his application, his capacity as well to sustain the actions, which is not easy.
He's 16-years-old and he can create moments but consistently to go through the game, every phase, with the demands that we put in them, to be able to do that is extremely difficult. And he's coping better and better and better.
He did the action where he regained the ball and wins it. In the first goal, he loses his man. And that's the thing that we need to continue to reiterate with him because he's an unbelievable player because of the character that he has and how much he loves to play at the biggest stage and still handle the situation with such naturality.
As you mentioned, he seems to just take everything in stride. He just scored the goals and looked like he was in training or something. How are you going to keep the hype around him that there's bound to be after that sort of performance?
Well, it depends. If he does what he does on the pitch, it's not easy, I understand. But what we have to do is look after him. He's 16-years-old. You don't see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different context. But in this league, with the demands that the league [has], the players and everything put on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he's in the right context with the right preparation. That's what we are trying to do.
So does that mean you're going to be quite sparing when you use him this season? He's still so young.
We want to make sure that when we just throw him there, he's ready to handle that at every level. It's not just that he can run past somebody. There's a lot more things that we need to look after him. But he will dictate that in terms of how he behaves every single day and how many reasons he gives to play because he's part of our squad. Like anybody else, no different. The only thing that we have to manage is that he needs to constantly be aware that he needs to be prepared for what he needs to do.
How much excitement does that give you on a personal level for the long term? Because we know that you live in the moment, game by game, but when you look ahead for a full year...
I live the moment, and just having two 16-year-olds playing for Arsenal at this level against a Premier League team is so fulfilling. Because I've been there and just to be able to contribute in somebody's career and dream, to be able to experience a game like tonight is just phenomenal. And yeah, medium and long term, we know that if they continue to develop in the way that they are, we're going to have two tremendous footballers for the future.
Just a quick one on Mikel Merino. How much has he grown?
He's unbelievable. First of all, he's one of the most intelligent players that I've seen and worked with. Then the personality is just full of... I don't know, he just wants to give to everybody. You know, he thinks about everything; he thinks about everybody. And on top of that, obviously, he has qualities that are unique in football and in our team.
His capacity to arrive at the ball, his capacity to occupy different spaces, to play in different positions, to link play with people. And as I mentioned earlier, the ability that he has to score goals like tonight is a different one that we've seen lately, but another incredible one.
Obviously, Dowman’s goals will wrap the headlines today, but his work off the ball was exceptional at the time, particularly for the first two goals in his pressing. Is that something he's really developed, that physicality?
I'm glad you're talking about that because that's a big part of the game as well. He really wants to do it. The more he plays, the more he trains with us, and the more ready he is physically to sustain that level, he will do it.
And that will happen in his attacking phase, for sure, because he will force errors and make mistakes on the opponent, and he will then be in a really open situations to exploit his qualities. So he knows that. Today is a big example for him as well, and I'm sure that that's going to trigger even more will for him to do it.
Is that part of the game as important, would you say, as his work on the ball, especially at this level when it's so physical?
You need to be, at this level, the best in every phase, and we know what he can do when he's in and around the ball, especially the way he's got a bit of space around him. Defensively on set pieces, it's not only that, his leadership has to increase, his voice has to increase, his role has to increase within the team, in the dressing room. It's a lot of things that you need to grow, but at 16 to already do what he does, it's just incredible.
I'm interested in what you said about how it's difficult for youngsters, particularly in the Premier League, compared to other leagues. Is it possible now to play a 16-year-old regularly in the Premier League?
Everything is possible. The probability is probably extremely low because you don't see the players with the capacity to handle just the physicality of the game. Not only that, but the demands that you have to put your body through in the week to be able to be in a good condition to compete, the amount of information, the challenges that you have to face. But he's doing it and he's doing it really well every time there's a chance.
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