Bernd Leno got another 90 minutes under his belt in pre-season on Sunday afternoon, playing the entirety of our 2-1 defeat to Lyon in the Emirates Cup.
The goalkeeper made a number of fine saves, including a quick reaction stop to deny Memphis Depay - but he was unable to prevent Moussa Dembélé from striking twice in the second half.
We spoke to Leno after the game and this is what he said:
on the positives from the performance…
In the first half we played good football, we had many chances but unfortunately we didn't score more than one goal, but we had the chances. In the second half it was difficult with all the changes, so we lost a bit of the control. But the result today is not the most important thing. We tried to play with more risk and to play out from the back and I think that went OK. Also physically it was good work from the team, it was only the result that was not perfect.
on his view of Martinelli's disallowed goal…
I was surprised why the referee whistled, for offside or I don't know. Then unfortunately they scored the second goal some moments later, and it was offside. Maybe our goal wasn't I don't know. But at the end it's not the most important. In two weeks it counts, against Newcastle, when the season starts. We have to talk with the manager and the team about the positive and the negative things, and only look forward.
on being back at Emirates Stadium…
It was very good to be back, because we hadn't played here for a long time. It was also nice in the USA, but I think it's always best at home.
on the team working together…
I think the atmosphere in the team is very good. It was last year also very good. When you see how the experienced players help the young players adapt, it's very good. And you see on the pitch everybody is like a big family, but we can also talk about negative things. Nobody gets mad at each other. I think it's also important to be honest with each other. That's what you need for a good performance and for a good team.
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