It was a packed press conference room on Friday as Unai Emery faced the media ahead of our game against Liverpool.
Our head coach discussed Sunday's game against Liverpool, our full-backs, Alex Iwobi and more.
Read on for a full transcript:
on this being our biggest test yet...
Yes, we are looking forward to playing against them, playing against a team like Liverpool. We are excited for tomorrow because our supporters are going to help us in our home. I think it's a very difficult game, against a very difficult team, but for us it's about success against them with our quality, our performance and also our respect.
on this being the first time he's faced Klopp since 2016 and what he thinks of his team...
Now, this team is developing a lot. With Klopp and with signing new players in the last year and this team three seasons ago, they were playing in the final in the Europa League. Their development was to last season play the final in the Champions League. Now, for us, it's a good, big example for how you can improve. We have a lot of respect for them also. I think we can play against them with our performance and also with our possibility and with our spirit, to show every supporter that we are here also.
on full-back issues and if they worry him...
Yes, but we are playing a lot of matches: Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday. We need every player and injuries are normal in a season. Today, we are going to do the last training with the players. There are doubts but we are going to wait to see if we can use one or another player in the full-back positions. But if they cannot play we are going to play another player. We will play 11 against 11. I think know, we have a good spirit and excited players for tomorrow. For me, the players are okay and we are going to play tomorrow.
on our record against the big six...
We want to write a new history. The new history is in the present and also, with our players, our quality and our capacity, I believe in my players and this project. We are starting this project with a very positive way with what we are doing. We are in our mentality that we also need to improve thing but each match they are giving us a lot of information for improvement and development and I trust in my players.
on it being a big match and a chance to make a statement...
I think each match is a very important match and each match for us is very important. The most important is tomorrow. It's a very big test because it's against Liverpool, they are a very good team, an intense team and they require a lot of work for us to battle them but I believe in our team and our players. We are also doing our way. Historically, they say there are a lot of goals in matches between Arsenal and Liverpool and the most important thing for us is that every supporter can enjoy this match. But we want to enjoy winning.
on stopping Liverpool's threats...
We want to not allow them to have or to do, in the 90 minutes, their jobs. They have quality with individual players and also their collective and tactical capacity also. One is their transitions, two is also that they are developing a lot with the goalkeeper because they build up on this work with Alisson and the centre-backs and the midfield players. They can progress on the pitch with a lot of quality, starting with Alisson. And also, when they are playing in the transition and attacking moments with very quick players like Mane, like Firmino and like Salah. We need also to do a big match in individual duels against them and also tactically, I think we need to be together and play with our capacity, identity and style and we need to impose on them. It's very difficult and not possible for 90 minutes to impose our style in every moment but in moments in the game, we need to impose our style and ideas and our quality with our players and this is the duel for the 90 minutes.
on whether Aaron Ramsey may leave in January...
For me, the most important thing is his focus and every player's focus for the match tomorrow and the training today. The focus for me in football is always the next match.
on 75 per cent of goals coming in the second half...
It's perfect. We win a lot of matches in the second half. We don't want to lose this statistic. And then also, if we can improve the first half, even better.
on Cech or Leno...
I am very happy with both and my decision is clear and easy. If I choose one, it's perfect, but if I choose the other, it's also perfect.
on Alex Iwobi saying it's like a family here...
I think before I came here, Arsenal was already one family. Maybe we needed to improve or to develop some things differently with the team and with the club, but I think this club is very big and was a big family also before I came here. We are doing more combinations to do more to be stronger with the relationship between us. The family is very important for us, for every player to feel important and enjoy.
on it being his birthday on Saturday...
For me, the most important is the match. My focus is on the match. I approach with every energy and concentration on the match and to enjoy the 90 minutes and I want to find this enjoyment with the victory.
on what he learned from losing to Chelsea and Manchester City...
Yes. These two matches are so far and also they are so near, so close. Tomorrow is similar because Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are in front of us in the table and now we want to compete against them and this test, I think, is a very important test but I trust in our players, I trust in our way. The result tomorrow is very important but first I want to show them, to show you and to show everybody our best mentality in the game. I know if we have a very big mentality in the game and a very big performance individually and collectively, and also we need some luck, then I think we can win.
on Alex Iwobi's development and him receiving more involvement...
He is very young and I think he played here with improving moments in his career. We need to also push him more to improve because he has the quality and the capacity. The first thing is with the behaviour in training, finding ways to improve every day. And then, also to give him what he can improve tactically, individually. I think a lot of it is confidence, every player needs confidence. Not only with playing but when we are together and we are here. I want every player to feel this confidence but also with a very big demand from us and on himself also to work every day.
on what he has told Iwobi...
It's try, try, try and try. If you are doing a good action individually or not, continue with the confidence to try another, to try again. After that, good commitment every day, good behaviour every day and feel together with your team and respect decisions and respect your teammates. There is only one thing I know, work. You are working, you are winning this confidence every day, then your quality is there to be better in each match.
on whether this is Emery's Arsenal or still what he inherited from Arsene Wenger...
I do not know, but for me it's very important that every day we continue improving things. But the most important thing, before I came here, this team, this club and these players had a lot of positive things and I want to share with him this capacity and this work in the past year. And then, give them my personal style and ideals also. But earning and doing things together with the past and in the present. Then, we want to write a new future here, to create a new future. But we are at the beginning but we need a lot of time more in the present and in the future but we think of each match. Tomorrow we have a chance to improve more things and to show every supporter our mentality, our ideas and our performance against a very big team. But thinking that we are in one process and this process is in our way because we can and we want to write a new history here. I want to do a big history.
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