In the second half of his pre-Crystal Palace press conference, Mikel Arteta spent more time reflecting on his side’s pre-break troubles and he’s sought to address them during the warm-weather training camp in Dubai. He also chatted about ‘marginal gains’ and the potential for Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber to have an impact at the end of the season…
On having a history of going on runs of bad results…
Yeah, we want to cut that as quickly as possible. Every time you lose, the most important thing is to win, to cut that happening. We haven’t managed to do that and that’s a reality and we have to face it.
On whether there’s anything he can do to stop it happening…
We have done a lot of things to try to do that and to produce as much as possible in the games and as little as possible from the opponent, which has happened. But at the end, you have to win the games and we haven’t.
On whether the Palace game is a must-win if Arsenal are to challenge for the title…
Well, we better start to pick up points, that’s for sure. If we want to be up there, we’re going to have to start to have consistently three points on the board, and we know that at this level you cannot have more slip-ups.
On how frustrating it is as a manager to see your team doing well but not win…
Yeah, when I look at all the data, Arsenal, in the top, in the top, in the top, in the top, in the top. The reality is that we haven’t won enough matches. So there is something underneath that. It’s like an onion, the first two layers [fine] but we have to go to the bottom of it to understand actually what is making us win or not win. And there’s been small details, there’s more margins and then obviously [play in] the [penalty] boxes have played a big part of that. So we have to change that. As a coach, I do that and then Camaglio has to do it. It’s not that. We have to change that. As a coach, it’s not I do that then he has to do that. It’s not that. We have to find something else to win.
On which stats he’s most pleased to see his team performing well at…
I’m more pleased when we win. That’s it. Our job is to do that. [There’s no point saying] I’m much better than the opponent and I’m ready to win the game, we have to win them in the end. So I’m more pleased when we win, that’s it. My focus is on the other things that we can improve and do better and that are going to help us to have much more margins to win games.
On Arsenal being one, if not the best team in the league, aside from finishing…
If you look at it from that perspective, objectively, with what we are producing, the answer, clearly, is yes.
On the need to manage the workloads of young players…
Yeah, we want to play the players that are in the best condition and to maintain the players in the best condition because what’s going to have to come when it comes to March, April and May is going to be very different. As well, our fixtures look very different without the FA Cup, and we’re going to have more time to train and more space between games. So we’ll have to manage that.
On whether there’s a specific position he’d recruit for if he had to sign a player…
It’s a great question that I’m not going to answer.
On whether future returns for Tomiyasu and Timber make Arsenal’s needs at full-back less pressing…
When we planned the season, we have those two in mind, being fit, available and with the impact that we’re expecting them to have. And that’s a beautiful thing of a piece of paper, it’s not the reality of what happens. A player gets injured in the first game and you have to deal with that and then we have other issues on top of that. But those two are going to be massive when we come back. They give us so much strength, flexibility in the defensive line and we are hopeful that we’re going to have them both for the last part of the season.
On whether Arsenal’s players are overthinking actions in front of goal…
That’s a question more for the players, but when we have to make an action, especially in the box, it has to be with no hesitation and no thinking and just deliver the moment. There were a few situations where we were taking extra touches and moments where we didn’t make that decision quick enough, that’s for sure.
On that being a marginal gain he’s trying to improve…
Yes.
On what other marginal gains he wants to improve…
They are related. Some of them are about how we compete, how we face certain situations when things are not going well for us, when we miss a chance of two or three or five or 25, how we’re going to do the next actions and that’s something that we can do better.
On Jurgen Klopp saying he knew Arsenal’s missed chances in the FA Cup would affect us…
I don’t know if that’s his feeling, so I don’t know.
On whether Arsenal have worked with sports psychologist…
The approach is a very holistic approach because there is not a single factor. And the factor for one player is not the same factor for a different player. So you always have to take a realistic approach to things and try to touch and try to look at every aspect that can be affecting in a positive negative way a player.
On the mood being brighter following the training camp in Dubai…
As I said, it was an exceptional camp. So if I had to plan it again, I don’t think it would be as good as it was. That’s what I can say. I was being asked about that.
On why he wanted families to take part…
First of all, we’ve done it for a couple of years now, so it’s nothing new. So it’s not because we haven’t won one or two matches that now we’re bringing the families. And the second one, because I don’t decide whether the families are part of that or not. They are part of us. They live with us. Maybe they are not in the building every day, but they live with us. They live our professional lives, our success and failures every day with us. So they need to be recognised, they need to be present and for me it’s one of the best moments that we had.
On whether his strikers get unfairly criticised…
I think strikers and goalkeepers have very tough jobs. Because they can be heroes one day and the next day they can be highly criticised. It’s the job, they know that. But that’s the beauty of what they do as well, that the margins are so small and the emotions attached to that as well. But they know that, there is no one new here that is the first time they experience something like that.
Back to the trenches! Make up for Xg predictions with a 5-0 win!! COYG!!
Prescient
Thank you sir….the downvote tells you we have a spurs troll on the lose😂
😉 Clairvoyance? Naaa….Xg says we were soon bound for a correction…….
Spot on prediction 👌
… and remember: speed, speed and speed!
So, did he ACTUALLY say anything?
I can’t help but laugh when I come from being annoyed by the stupid press conference questions on Football Manager and then I see Arteta being asked the exact same questions in real life.
The fact is he is never going to answer quality questions with a direct answer anyway. So why bother? I could answer the questions in the way he does. Theres a line somewhere between Arteta and Troy Deeney where answers are honest and interesting!!