Steve Gatting spoke to the media after Arsenal Under-21s' draw against Swansea. This is what he said:
on his thoughts…
I thought it was a real tough game. As far as under-21 games go I thought Swansea had a really experienced team. It was a real team performance.
on what the team lacked in front of goal…
We were saying in the changing room that we thought we passed the ball well got into some good positions but we lacked that penetration to get behind their defence and pull them about a bit. A lot of the game was due to their experience at the back. It was difficult to get behind them.
on what stood out for him…
The toughness of the game stood out for me. We passed the ball well.
on if the rain made it difficult…
I don’t think so. It is a nice pitch to play on, better than the pitch we played on Swansea in the FA Youth Cup. There was no wind so I thought it was a good surface to play on.
on playing Swansea back to back…
I don’t think it really matters. To a degree they played the same sort of football.
on Tomas…
He joined us today to get some match fitness. He played for 45 minutes. He had good enthusiasm, passed the ball well and it was a good experience for the kids.
on a good stepping stone for injured players…
Especially for those with long-term injures. It is important for them to get back used to match situations. It was good to get a run around even if it is for 45 minutes. It is a good stepping stone for fitness.
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