Mehmet on Peterborough defeat

Mehmet Ali gave us his thoughts after our under-21s were knocked out of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy by Peterborough United on Wednesday evening.

“I felt our players tonight played a little bit inferior to our opponents,” said Mehmet.

“If you want to play the Arsenal way, you need to have the bravery to want and get on the ball, and when we did that, we were a threat. But when we didn’t do that, we were punished.

“I said to them, if you lose your identity, it’s always going to be difficult to play how we want to, and some of them went into their shells a little bit.

“As staff members, we’ve got to give them the encouragement and bravery to do it, but ultimately when they cross that white line, they’ve got to understand that they’re representing Arsenal. They need to have that confidence and belief to get on the ball.

“However, having said all of that, our team fought valiantly in the second half. They kept going and never stopped trying. They stuck to our principles a lot better, and we did get some joy.”

Mehmet also spoke of the great learning curve for his team to play against a Peterborough United side who are fifth in League One.

“It’s a great learning experience for the team to play against a League One outfit who were very good this evening and deserved the win. It’s an eye-opener for the team to see the levels and see what they’ve got to aspire to if they want to have a career as a professional footballer."

Despite the defeat, Mehmet is looking for a reaction from his players in our final two games against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Youth League and Sunderland in the Premier League 2 before the Christmas break.

“There’s still plenty of football to be played, and that’s the great thing about the game. They can’t feel sorry for themselves; they’ve got to dust themselves down and go again, and that starts on the training pitch.

“I’m a big believer in what you do every day will determine if you’re going to have careers in this industry.”