Unai Emery could reflect on a job well done as we beat Burnley 3-1 on the final day of the season.
Our head coach was asked about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang winning the Golden Boot, the Europa League final and more.
Read on for a full transcript:
on the performance and Auba's Golden Boot...
Good evening. Yes, it gives us 70 points - not enough for the top four but we are progressing and we work on being consistent. We can’t be 100 per cent happy but today and all the season, the players worked well to do our process of improving and to be closer to the top four. We finished a very big distance behind Liverpool and City, but closer to Chelsea and Tottenham. Our idea is to continue with our process. Individually, we can take some objectives. It’s good that Aubameyang [won the Golden Boot]. Every player works for the team and to help each other to [give] their capacity. Aubameyang is our striker with Lacazette and Nketiah, who has the possibility to improve with us. We can be pleased with him.
on Mkhitaryan and his chance of involvement in the Europa League final...
It is a political issue but I don't know well what the solution is. But we want to play with Mkhitaryan. Today he worked very well and we are ready to do all we can do to play with him. I don't know the possibility with the political issue.
on Baku holding the final...
I don't know exactly [the reasons behind] the decision to play in one place or another place. I played one Super Cup [against] Barcelona in Georgia once, in Tbilisi three years ago. It was the same then - two teams from Spain travelling to Georgia to play in the Super Cup. The problem is for the supporters. I prefer to play closer to England, because we are two English teams and can move a lot of supporters to be with us. Three years ago, with Sevilla, we played against Liverpool [in the Europa League final] in Switzerland. The stadium was full of our supporters and Liverpool supporters. It was amazing. I [haven’t really thought] about why they decided to play there. After, there are going to be 6,000 of our fans and 6,000 Chelsea fans. But the stadium has a capacity of 70,000. I think it’s going to be full, but [maybe not] with our fans and Chelsea’s fans.
on what the concern over Mkhitaryan is...
Really, I don't know what the problem is between the two countries but we are going to do all we can to have Mkhitaryan there. This issue is not sporting. It is not in my hands. I don’t understand what the solution is.
on Joe Willock's display...
We need to use the young players. Aaron Ramsey started playing here when he was young and every player can first take chances and after use these chances to get improvement to be with us. Today for example Willock and Eddie Nketiah played 60 mins and 30 mins and used the match to help us with a good match for both. Our responsibility is to give them chances and find the best performance as a team. Young players at Arsenal in the past and present need to have the opportunity to be with us everyday in training and after they can show us if they can play with us in matches.
on the plan for the long gap to the final...
We prepare like when it’s an international break. We will have two days off and for the first week we will not be thinking about the final. We will train three days in London and then next weekend we will have it off and then we will start on Tuesday in London with three days training preparing with all of our focus on the final. We will go to Baku three or four days before the final, Saturday I think, and prepare for the match over the last three training sessions. It’s the same as when we have an international break.
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