Brighton & Hove Albion travel to Emirates Stadium this weekend off the back of an impressive 1-0 win against Marseille in the UEFA Europa League.
The Seagulls have finished top of Group B in their first ever season in Europe, and Mikel Arteta has heralded Roberto De Zerbi’s team ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash.
“They are a really good side,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “Last year when we had the game under control was when we conceded a goal and then the game completely broke up and we struggled, especially in the last 15 minutes of the game, so we have to play better and be very efficient, which is key against them.
“They are really good - they have really good players and their way of playing is very specific and causes you problems. They were very efficient. Efficiency in football is key and on that day, they were more efficient than us.”
Like Mikel, De Zerbi often shows his passion when celebrating goals on the touchline, and Mikel feels there’s nothing wrong with it as long as it’s authentic.
“We live the game as we feel it,” he said. “When I was a player, it was very similar. Everybody has their own way of being, talking and communicating. I think it’s great. As long as we’re genuine, I think that’s great.
“I know him and have spoken to him a few times about different topics. I’ve followed his career since he was at Sassuolo, before he moved to Ukraine. It’s very impressive what he’s done, the way his teams play and what he’s accomplished in the Premier League as well.”
Mikel was also asked about the education that Brighton provided for Leandro Trossard and Ben White earlier on in their careers.
“I know how good they are in their processes, in the culture they have, in the way they are coached,” he said “You can tell they are both very intelligent players who understand how we want to live together, how we want to play the game.
“Both have a lot of versatility - that’s not a coincidence, it’s because of the way they played under Graham [Potter] as well. They had to understand the game very well to fulfil those roles.”
Read every word of Arteta's pre-Brighton press conference here.
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