Press conference

Arteta on the draw, Martinelli: transcript

Mikel Arteta admitted he was "very frustrated" after we dropped two points against Sheffield United by conceding a late equaliser.

Our head coach faced the media after the match and discussed the performance, whether we should have had a penalty, Gabriel Martinelli and more.

 

Read on for a full transcript:

 

on how frustrated he is...

I'm very disappointed today. I think the performance deserved three points and I think we lost two points. In the Premier League, if you don't put the game to bed then in the last 10 or 15 minutes this type of team just need a long ball, a second ball, a set-piece, and you can give the points away. That's it.



on a one-goal lead not being enough for us at the moment...

Yeah and there's a history of [nerves in the stadium]. It makes it even more. In the Premier League we are 1-0 up and in the last 10 or 15 minutes you have to be careful, because anything can happen.



on if it shows the amount of work he needs to do...

I don't know what was done before. I think they tried to do the best possible thing. I inherited a team that was in a difficult situation and we're trying to improve it as much as possible. I don't know. In the second half, Sheffield United didn't generate any efforts on goal - it's just one long ball, a second ball and then someone put it top bins from an incredible angle. It's difficult to control it.



on whether it's an issue with fitness...

I think they all went full gas and I think they all tried really hard. I think we put them under real pressure every time and we didn't allow them to come out the way they do, to generate the overloads in wide areas and control the second phase, or put balls into the box. I don't think that was the case. Maybe in the first five or 10 minutes, we had to figure out the game a little bit but after that I think we did. Then when you're 1-0 up, the last 10 minutes things change. They changed to a back four and they started to commit more bodies forward, and then they'd have six players in front of the ball. It's more difficult to control when they play long balls or second balls like this. It's not easy.

on whether he thinks we should have had a penalty...

I think it's very clear.

 

on whether he's spoken to the referee about it...

No.

 

on Gabriel Martinelli stepping up...

Absolutely. He's an 18-year-old kid with all the enthusiasm but as well, he's so brave to make decisions, to threaten the opponent every time. He's all the time in the middle of the goal, waiting for an opportunity to come. The fact he hasn't played 90 minutes for a while - since his injury - but is still in the way he went about every single action is impressive.

 

on his goalscoring record being impressive...

Absolutely, yes.

 

on calling over Ainsley during a break in the game and whether he was at fault for the equaliser...

Obviously, when we are analysing the opponents and scenarios that are happening on the pitch, we have to try to correct and help the players as much as possible. But we can ask Ainsley a lot of thing, but he's not a full-back. Bukayo is not a full-back. They're trying to adapt as quickly as possible and they try to help the team as much as possible to do that, but these things are going to happen.

 

on Reiss Nelson's injury...

No, we had an incident in training. The doctors are still deciding how long it's going to take, but it's not looking good.

 

on the Africa Cup of Nations moving to the winter from the summer...

Let's see. It's something that we are talking with the club to figure out exactly the scenario we're going to be looking at. It's not only us, there are many other clubs involved but I don't know. They never ask those questions to us so I'm assuming that we'll have to accept whatever comes.

 

on whether it changes his philosophy in the transfer market with regard to African players...

Mine at the moment? No.

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