Mikel Arteta was proud of the side's consistency and perseverance, as we earned a valuable 1-0 win at the Emirates to go into the international break.
The boss also praised Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who impressed on his return to the starting line up.
Read on for a full transcript of his post-match conference...
On Ranieri being unhappy Arsenal didn’t return the ball to Watford before the goal…
I have to defend my players, my team and my club. I would say we are the most honest [of] all of them - and at some stages we can even become naive. But still, if he feels like that towards our club, I have to apologise if that’s the case. But for sure there was not any intention to take advantage.
On if it was a misunderstanding…
I don’t know - I focus on the performance and what we want. I want to talk about what we did and why we deserved completely to win the game.
On the turnaround after the first international break…
It was about what I could see around me - the faith that the players and the staff have in what we do, the belief, the sense of belonging they have to be a part of a team, and the unity they’ve shown in difficult moments, not to try to point to anybody [else] but to take full responsibility and show real leadership and courage to overturn the situation. They faced the criticism and moved forward, slowly trying to engage people. We’ve been lucky because we have supporters who, in difficult moments, have shown that they love this club and they realise how important it is for our players to play the game with them. When that happens, you can see what the atmosphere is like.
On if Auba will stay on penalty duty…
He will stay on penalties if he’s happy to do so. You will miss when you take penalties - that’s part of your career and the job - [but] we’ll try to help him.
On Maitland-Niles’ performance and what he’s seen from him in central midfield…
First of all, I see a different player in terms of his urgency, his commitment, the clarity in his play, his purpose. Since we made the decision, it was clear what I was seeing that I wanted him to stay, because he was going to be useful. He has a huge talent because he’s versatile enough to adapt to almost any position on the pitch. Today we made use of him to do what he had to do in the game, which was really important.
On his clarity and purpose…
When I see him in training sessions, when I see how he prepares, when I see the questions he’s asking, his level of attention. Everything you talk through, his response is immediate. He’s a really clever boy, really clever, really intelligent. I think he needs to able to transmit that, and how much he cares, with his body language and his determination. He's come a long way.
On morale after being 10 games unbeaten…
It’s much better and it’s always great for any manager or team to win before the international break because we’re now going to lose 70 per cent of the squad. They are going to go to the national teams and hopefully when they are back we can maintain that and keep the run going.
On winning in spite of setbacks…
I think it was really important today to be clear that we were going to have moments of frustration. We expected a certain game-plan from them. That is going to happen and you have to go through that. You have to be consistent and you have to be determined with what you want to achieve in the game. And the type of actions that are necessary to win the game and to keep going. We never lost sight of that and I believe that's why we won the game.
on whether Tierney is still the first choice left back…
Well, Nuno is playing because he deserves to play. He’s been exceptional in all the performances where he has been given the opportunity. But I cannot say anything different with Kieran, Kieran has been superb for us. Kieran has been injured, he came back two days ago to do his first full training session. This is what we need - two top players that are raising the level in their position - and I’m happy with that.
on Smith Rowe, and whether his performance was a response to not being picked for England…
Gareth made the call, he know Emile really well, and I’m sure he’s got a plan for him. It’s very important in football to be patient, and go step by step. When you make that step, reinforce it and make sure it’s a secure and safe step before you make your next move.
on whether Partey and Tierney will appear for their international sides…
Let’s see what happens with Thomas. He wasn’t available to play today. He’s got a muscle injury, and we don’t know how it’s going to evolve, so let’s take it day by day. Kieran is going to go with the Scotland squad. He was training inside the stadium today, and he will go with Scotland.
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