After watching Arsenal secure a hard-fought 1-0 win at Chelsea, Mikel Arteta used his post-game interview with Sky Sports to lambast the media for misconstruing comments made in his pre-game press conference on Tuesday morning.
The Spaniard appeared to claim that some of his players had not given him everything during the season but in an impassioned defence of their collective character, he stressed that he blamed only himself for not getting the best from some of them.
He also reflected on a first win at Stamford Bridge since 2011 and the tactics he implemented to secure the points.
On the win proving Arsenal aren’t totally broken…
Nothing is broken. Inside nothing is broken. I don’t know how hard they are going to try from the outside but inside, no. They’ve tried to put things on me that I never said. You can see the spirit of the team from the first minute, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing to be seventh, eighth or ninth, you can see that. You can never doubt their efforts and how much they try.
On what he thinks has been ‘put on him’…
Something that I didn’t say. I said that if I don’t get 120% from each player, it’s my fault and my responsibility. It wasn’t said like this in the press and I am so annoyed with that.
On his players giving him everything…
My players, I will defend in front of anybody for the rest of the time that I am here. Because they deserve that and they earn it, every single day.
On being misconstrued…
Yes. They [the players] don’t deserve that. They give me everything, every single day. Everybody who is here does that. Because if they don’t or I’m not here or the player is not here because the only thing I demand until the last day is that they give me everything that they have. That’s all. After, the ability, playing better, draws, win, lose, but that is unquestionable and non-negotiable. 100 per cent.
On why Arsenal have fallen short this season if it’s not effort and application…
Because there are many more things because there is competition and this is the level you play against.
On tonight’s performance…
I’m really happy with a lot of things that we’ve done, the attitude and the desire to win that we showed. When we had to dig in, which you have to against this team because they are a fantastic team, we did it. We put everything that we had to try to get the best possible result.
On the press conference issue being more on his mind than beating Chelsea…
Well, they are not going to break that. They can try but they are not going to break that. I know the chemistry we have, not only with the players but with our staff, all the coaching staff and with the board. They can’t touch that. And if they try to touch that, it can be with opinions but not saying things that I never said. That’s not on. I’m not taking that. It’s the first time that I’ve had to make my point.
On the win being big for him…
It’s a big win for the club, the players and for our fans because I know how much a London derby means. It’s been 10 years since we won in this ground so it tells you how hard it is.
On the result showing Arsenal are moving in the right direction…
It shows that we found a way today to win.
On pressing for the goal…
Yes, it’s the way we play. It’s in our DNA, it’s our philosophy to always try to do that. If an opponent is good enough to beat that press then we have to defend deep but, of course, we thought we had opportunities to press the right way and they could make mistakes and we forced them, we got lucky and we scored.
On playing three at the back…
We did it just for one reason, to try to play better and make it harder for them and for us to be better in the game.
On whether European qualification is realistic…
It’s not in our hands. The only thing that is realistic for us is to win the next game.
On what difference qualifying for Europe would make…
I don’t know. We’re not in Europe at the moment but we know this club, that’s the demands.
On how tough this week has been…
It’s been a really tough season because we faced something unprecedented from outside the world of this football club but we put all our passion, our energy, our knowledge and our togetherness to get through any moment, any obstacles and try to be as good as we can.
I comment my reserve till after next season
Too me.
Me too also
I will 6 months comment my reserve.
We had one must win game for this season, and we bottled it. Chelsea played us like they play Leeds or West Brom, while waiting for CL final.
On another day, we should have lost the game by at least 3 goals. And the goal we scored was a ridiculous own goal. Chelsea had so many chances. Not sure, what is there to celebrate except 3 points.
Arteta is talking as if we dominated the game, and won easily.
Errm – Chelsea had TWO shots on target mate. But don’t let the facts get in the way of a good rant, yeah?
Ssshhhh.
Don’t start going around telling everyone the Emperor’s not wearing anything. They don’t like it…..
people are blind–we are abysmal
so what if we win a random game here and there against the top 6- we are piss poor and its all on the coach
get your jacket mate as you will do more damage to our club
Dude talks too much.
Uh, you wasted your sarcasm font again.
I wonder what waffles more. Arteta or my McVities 8-pack🤔
It’s in the Sky contract.
Y’all could hate but these is facts.
I’m not #ArtetaOut but I’m also not the one saying “not all players gave 100%” immediately after a season-ending defeat in which he played a false nine for the first time and threw Willian in at the very end like he was some kind of ace in the hole.
Then trying to walk that back like “oh the press is lying on me.”
Arteta needs to tone down the arrogance and hubris and learn for next season.
This, coming from you … delicious irony! 😉
Trololol I don’t know you and don’t care to. Exit my replies with your nonsense please. Thank you!
Is that how an internet comments section works now ? Brilliant! Can you reply to this & then I can tell you to exit my replies. This is SOOoooooooo exciting !
When someone ad hominem says I’m arrogant or hubristic without knowing the first thing about me, sure.
On the ‘Handbrake Off’ podcast Gunnerblog and Amy Lawrence use those exact same words to describe some of Arteta’s behaviors (tactical inflexibility, late substitutions, favored players), but everyone is welcome to disagree.
Feel free to downvote my comment or respond with substance if you think Arteta always says the right things, but if you just wanna troll with ad hominems take that sh*t elsewhere.
The man’s an embarrassment to this club.
For beating Chelsea and defending his players? Have a word
Oh, defending his players now….? Really….?
Tell that to Pepe.
I don’t have to have a word mate. Perhaps some of you on here do. Just saying.
I think you’ll find the almost 100 down votes would suggest you do mate?
Although in HateMik world, everyone who disagrees or dares to suggest some actual facts, is clearly any idiot….
And whatever he has said to Pepe (behind the scenes where it actually matters, rather than in front of your sofa) it seems to have worked – lad’s playing his best football since arriving.\
So your point is?
You are a clown. Leave along with this shockingly novice and arrogant coont of a manager.
He’s going to get another 6 months by merit or otherwise so I’ll back him until then. While I have some doubts about long term success under mikel, I hope he proves me wrong, but the bigger issues of this club are ownership, management and too many older overpaid mercenaries. This should not change the need to shift the focus and direction of this team to youth and mobility in midfield. Mo has his limits, but he complements partey prefectly and their running, mobility show positive signs of function. Partey and Mo were excellent tonight and broke up so much… Read more »
They work well as a midfield against better opposition I think. Elneny’s engine is impressive.
Partey – xhaka midfield probably better when we have the ball for most of the game.
Still I would not mind an upgrade in midfield this summer.
“He’s going to get another 6 months by merit”, What?
Might be an idea to read the full sentence..
U an embarrassment to the human race
He may have worded his initial comments poorly, but I’m glad he’s willing to come back and fight the media on another narrative that has been taken too far. Arsenal vs the world is a culture we should embrace
I think it was a slip on his part. What he wanted to say came out and then either because of the reaction or reflection he’s realised that what he’s done is the quickest way to lose the dressing room and your job. The words were clear and they weren’t misinterpreted. Coming out strongly is more a message to his players that he hasn’t criticised them. If he’s genuinely upset with how it’s been reported then he’s in denial. He should be more angry at himself for being classless
Honestly I think it could be read either way, saying he hasn’t got the maximum from every player doesn’t mean every player isn’t trying their best, which is what the media said. It’s slightly unclear from Arteta, but it’s something that I think has been inferred from what he said rather than what he said.
It should also be remembered that English is not Arteta’s first language. It would be a different story altogether if this was Bredan Rogers or Moyes being “misinterpreted”.
You are all a bunch of fools. I hate supporting this club, that I loved more than anything for the longest time, because of Mifail Husseinteta and moronic, pea-brain fans like you
no, it can not be read either way or misinterpreted if you know that only couple of days before he went out and basically blamed the players stating that the squad needs changing and he has got owners backing.
I belive, quite like tanned arse, that he is not stupid and was just trying to controll the damage he made with his last comments realising he might be loosing the dressing room.
Fire in the belly at least.
Yep, completely happy with developing an us against the world attitude.
As long as it doesn’t go to Mourhino levels of eye gauging & abusing our own medical staff
Whatever else you say about him, at least Maureen had some big old trophies on his CV.
Arteta hasn’t been in the job five minutes and he’s giving it the big licks on one FA Cup.
When you’re so determined to bash Arteta at every opportunity that you find yourself standing up for Mourinho……that’s a sign that you have lost all reason. Just saying. (As you are so fond of saying yourself)…and I’m going to include a laughing emoji for no reason now too, sure why not 😂
And you are licking Arcrapta’s balls at every opportunity. Absolute fools like you make a mockery of this club
Honestly, if you want to sound like an absolute fool, posting a comment like yours is a good way to do it. I am clearly not someone who sucks up to Arteta at every opportunity which means you have no idea what I have posted & are just lashing out based on a false assumption.
Like a politician he says something & then backtracks vociferously. I don’t care TBH as long as we’re successful one way or the other next season. Or at least make progress and not have to listen to some drivel about ‘PROCESS’ when that is 100% inconspicuous.
I believe in the old saying that you should keep your mouth shut and do your talking on the pitch. Winning a meaningless end of season game doesn’t make up for the incompetent performances in the EL semifinal. Arteta isn’t the man for the job at Arsenal.
If a London Derby is meaningless we should all pack up and go home. The game doesn’t matter anymore then.
I don’t care where we are in the table, frustrating Chelsea at the Bridge is a thing of beauty — and bonus points for doing it ugly.
Chasing down the spuds is never meaningless.
We’re 3 points out of Europa, with 3 matches to play. Long shot, but this was the biggest obstacle the team has any control over (other than their own tendencies) and it’s still there.
👏 real fan
More like fake, deluded and lacking a single IQ point fan
6th place is europa(which in itself I’d rather we were out of). 7th and the europa conference would be a terrible competition for us. Zero prestige. No reward. Messes again with Premier league game build ups and if anyone thinks arteta would just play the kids they’re very mistaken
Yep, totally agree, I will still enjoy an arsenal win, even if it is in only a training match, never mind a PL match, and derby
Hear bloody hear!
This fraudulent clown of a fan again. I bet you are a Spuds troll
This site has changed so much ,I haven’t been on in a while but fans used to have good debates and difference of opinions but always respectful but this guy is a joke iv seen at least 5 comments from this guy abusing other fans because they have a different opinion. I know the club isn’t doing well but it’s fans like this guy that makes us a laughing stock to the rest of the league. Go join your mates on aftv and give us all a break.
“I don’t care where we are in the table”
Pathetic.
Fact, but look at these negative votes – manipulated by IT team of Arseblog?
What are they smoking at the “Takeshita”?
Yeah, pretty strong stuff from the sound of them!😁
Dunno – but I’d like to know where they buy it?
Take off the tinfoil hat, dude.
The Lizard people did it. It’s all a conspiracy.
It’s technically possible, the DailyMail they do it all the time. Twitter does it as per need.
Or it could be that a lot of us just feel you’re talking bollocks?
And yet you hang on to Arteta’s every word.
Oh the irony…..
Yeah, I can smell the bamboo from here.
Is that the IT team of Arseblog Corporation, that renowned multi million pound mega organisation ?
I don’t really understand this whole ‘meaningless’ approach to these end of season games. Had Arsenal been fully focused against Everton and Fulham instead of the EL semi final they would now be in a strong position to qualify for Europe. They still can as Spurs and Everton have hard matches to come. If you treat games as meaningless then it is exactly what they become.
Well when your team have shown literal contempt for putting out consistently good performances in the league all season then there is a logical explanation for the lack of satisfaction from winning a meaningless 35th game of the season when we lie in 10th place and can be superceded by Aston Villa and Everton who have games in hand. Maybe that makes sense to me and not a “process” propaganda drinking fan/simp like yourself. Bet you congratulate your wife when she gives you head after a day of getting piped and inseminated by Chads that gave her way more pleasure
Liked this. This feels more like the Arteta that got us on board with his matches and his words at first. Lately he felt like Emery 2.0, but this is a nice interview. Not that this changes the absolute fuckup that is this season, but at least there is still the fighting spirit.
Agreed. Better to see a reaction and know that he is affected.
Arsene would have looked at this story, smiled to himself, and thought, “Welcome to Arsenal, Mikel”.
It’s been 18 months and he’s brought us from 6th in the league to 11th. No, sorry. It should be BYE BYE Arteta you absolute loser
Sometimes I look at this team and think we were harsh on Unai, 5th place with the crap he had wasn’t bad. But then I remember the watford game where we made them look like prime Barcelona and were shredded 25 times over, and recall he absolutely should have been sacked. We gave Mikel a fair shake at it I reckon, but in the end he just does not seem up to it. Alienated some of our younger players (Saliba in particular, Nelson, etc), some pretty poor signings (Cedric, Willian, Mari) and made some horrendous team selections/set ups in major… Read more »
I would want to see MA backed properly in the transfer window. But is there any top player right who actually fancies playing for us in our current state?
Did you notice how many times Chelski was offside tonight? That was Mari commanding the defence. One huge mistake (but, tbf, Gabriel left him short), but I like Mari as a squad player at least.
We beat one of Europe’s best and most in-form teams tonight. It still matters. Enjoy!
No my friend, I look at this team + Unai’s team and think about half our fans were very harsh on Wenger. We finished consistently in top 4 with Chamakh, Bendtener, Arshavin and Van Persie (only one good season with RVP).
Djourou Senderos and Eboue at the back. Almunia in goal. I used to think Wenger was deliberately handicapping himself and the team just to give himself a challenge.
Denilson and Melinda in the middle with Hleb and Wilshire on the flanks. There’s only one Arsene Wenger! 🙌
So he earlier is quoted as saying the majority of players have given effort for him, (inferring others haven’t) then weirdly backtracks – apologies if I’m misunderstanding here but this feels like cracks developing after a woeful season.
For all those saying that arsenal won the game coz chelsea shot themselves in the foot, remember all those games where we did the same to ourselves.
True enough, and it was a good preformance particularly in the middle of the pitch. Credit mikel for the setup too, strange why he hasnt played Mo and partey together more, they’ve been excellent together, elneny’s mobility and work rate free partey up and allow us to be covered against the break. The difference between what we can do compared to how Conservative we must be with xhaka to prevent breaks is night and day. And ceballos, yeah thanks for all the fish Dani, but time to make that move to real betis.
yeah – feels right good, dunnit!
In Arteta we trust
Wow, what a great communicator.
The media haven’t “misconstrued” anything, just reported what he had said
I watched it, and it was clear that he was saying some players don’t put the effort in.
But apparently, it’s fake news, Arteta has never said it, he has amazing players, great players. He is a great manager, the greatest manager this club has had. He’s going to build a beautiful team and make the Kroenkes pay for it.
The biggest most beautiful team the world has ever seen?
Not only will it be the most beautiful team but it will win and win bigly. No that’s not a typo…
I get English isn’t his first language but he’s been I’m the UK for a pretty long time, his English should be a little better. Some of his sentences don’t always make a lot of sense. Also as for sticking up for player, didn’t stop you chucking Pepe under the bus did it.
It’s a rare person who gets a second language to that level. People seem to have a level they get to then plateau, and that level varies. That’s been my experience, anyway.
You have definitely never stepped out of your own house. Basement dweller thinks people can’t fluently speak more than one language. What an absolute peasant of a brain you and most of this club’s fans have. I’m so sick of all of you
Check your spelling when criticising someone’s use of language
Yes, but what about Bielsa at Leeds? He’s been there three years now and still doesn’t speak English at press conferences and other “public” events at least, always choosing to use an interpreter. Does that make him any worse a manager? If so, I wonder why he’s held in such high regard by his fellow managers. I suspect a lot of Gooners would be open to having him as manager, speaking English or not.
Hope Edu and Vinai know how to throw people under the bus and assume it.
“We did it just for one reason, to try to play better and make it harder for them and for us to be better in the game.” Three reasons, then. However many reasons, it worked. We won and Chelsea lost. Hilarious.
Reading the posts on this report, it seems to me that those Gooners who want Arteta out are, unsurprisingly, using it as another “stick” to beat him with. I don’t know whether he made the comments verbatim that are attributed to him or whether some people are “interpreting” them to suit their own, wider, arguments.
If I need a proverbial stick to beat him with then I’ll choose one of the many he has created for himself. Guys breaks more records than Usain Bolt. And not the kind we want either. Watching him stumble his way through management is some kind of penance for my sins. He frustrates the shit out of me. But not as much as the clown called Kroenke that hired him does.
A lot of Gooners are using this stick though, aren’t they.
Following on from comments, I wonder how many people wouldn’t stumble through their first managerial position, particularly at a “big” club like Arsenal and with the problems he inherited? And, funnily enough, I don’t recall many (any?) posts on this site being critical after the FA Cup win which was only last August after all. Still, I think if we’re pointing the finger of blame then it must be towards the owner as you suggest.
If we wanted a cup manager to string together 5 or 6 wins a season and grab us an FA Cup then we should have stayed with Wenger. As at least he played attractive football and actually believed in competing along with cleaning up FA CUPS on the side. Arteta has another job to do; it’s called making us competitive in the league. And that’s where he fails hugely. He thinks he is the dog’s bollocks just because he won an FA CUP. I don’t even want to get in to just how many problems this guy has as I’ll… Read more »
Thank god you’re not… here all night, that is.
Couldn’t have said it better👍. I feel the people that still want him here are not seeing how short-term Arteta is in his thinking.
On the coaching side of things. We need coaches that can improve us on the pitch in the long-term. Especially if we’re going to persist with this inept batch of executives and board of directors.
Yep – beating Chav’s away for the first time in a decade…
Best defensive record in the PL, after Citeh and Chelsea – and that, after the utter dogshow he inherited from Unai…
Wins away against the top 6 for the first time since god knows when…
FA Cup and semis of Europa…
4th best form in PL in 2021…
But why let some real facts get in the way of your rant?
I want what you’re smoking.
Nope, none for you! Only the elite few who aren’t mired in negativity get to see the good that’s coming, long before it arrives. It might be hazy in here, but the anticipation is everything — as Hamlet says, the readiness is all.
Welcome to the world of media. Spoiler alert: They lie. Was he born yesterday? I’m getting really embarrassed watching him fumble his way around as a manager. His comments are showing signs of pressure getting to him. Does he expect the media to kiss his ass forever? He has had such an easy ride from them so far so forgive me for not giving a shit if they twisted his words or not. Cry me a river. I’m more concerned with how you butchered our season, kept playing a useless Martinelli, threw away the FA CUP, sidelined our most promising… Read more »
Kept playing a useless Willian… Sometimes my brain thinks faster than my hands can type. I ask once again (selfishly, for my own benefit) of allowing a 10 minute grace period to edit our posts.
Lol I was gonna … Useless Martinelli???
Then again, maybe you are… here all night, that is.
Arteta should be moved on in my view. Regardless of that, it’s fair to say elements of the media are happy to give people enough rope until they say something stupid or something that can be interpreted as controversial just for the sake of a headline. This is especially true when the pressure is on with poor results etc. Must say I enjoyed the way Arsene would toy with these clowns. He gave them little to work with and made them look like fools.
Yes, the point about Wenger is true. However, we need to remember how many years in management Wenger had when he was eventually sacked by Arsenal – 34 years (1984-2018). Arteta is only thirty-nine years old, and has been a manager for 18 months this June! Comparing apples and pears, isn’t it.
1984?
He managed Nancy, Monaco and Nagoya Grampus Eight before he joined Arsenal.
Nothing to do with the number of years in management.
It’s a matter of whether or not you have the intelligence to beat the media at their own game.
Wenger could.
Arteta clearly cannot.
I do not support this combative attitude. Arteta should at the moment stay humble, admit that the season was a complete disappointment and dedicate everything that is in his power to prove every critic wrong next season, including me. And I genuinely hope that he will succeed in doing so. But presently, there are few arguments going in his favour, yes, the media is nonsesical, but let us not forget that Arteta still hasn’t felt the pressure from playing in front of the fans so I have to say that at this point I even support this pressuring from the… Read more »
Precisely. Solksjaer went through the trial by media when United were floundering and he eventually responded to the pressure.
Arteta needs this kind of pressure to curb his arrogance. Otherwise he’ll continue to be complacent.
The number of useless fans we have is the reason why we are shite. A crap and meaningless fighting display against Chelsea where we took a hilariously stupid goal and took it like a PL Title. What an embarrassment of a club we are and moreover the biggest idiots are these idiotic fans who big up everything after such a waste of time of a game