After seeing his side beat Athletic Club 2-0 to get the ball rolling on our Champions League campaign, Mikel Arteta discussed the game with local and English media.
He chatted about the impact of our bench, injuries and the performance of Gabriel Matinelli among other topics.
Here is everything he had to say:
on tonight’s game:
What an amazing place to play football. I must say, one of the greatest atmospheres that I’ve been in. We knew that the first 20-25 minutes it was going to be really tough, especially the way they played, it was so intense; a lot of direct players, a lot of duels. I think after that we started to grow throughout the game, and in the second half we were much more fluent, dominant, and looked much more of a threat. And at the end, the finishers, they made the impact for us to win the game, and overall, I’m very happy.
on what he tells our subs:
That they are at least equally important, or more important. We have discussed that the finishers are going to be more important this season, sometimes more than the starters. We can change the game there, especially with the intensity that we play, especially when the team starts to drop off, and I’m very pleased to see that. Piero comes in and plays six minutes, the first six minutes he’s played, and Christian is the same. That’s the attitude I want from all of us.
on Gabriel Martinelli:
Fully deserved it. I adore Gabi; his attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he’s willing to do for the team. Externally, we certainly value all the qualities that he has, and he brings to the team, and I’m so happy that today he was important in the two actions.
on the team rallying around Martinelli:
That’s the spirit, that’s why I really enjoy every single day working with them and being part of this team, because the way they look after each other is genuine, and they really want the best for each other. They recognise someone that works every single day in a manner that Gabi does, and you can go through struggles or moments and recognising that and having that capacity to connect with him, I think it would mean a lot to him.
on if Gabi had a point to prove:
I was sure that Gabi was going to react like that. He raised the level to Gabi and he was going to do that. He has such a mentality, he’s a player that is constantly willing to learn and improve himself, very demanding with himself. That’s the moment that hopefully is going to give him the confidence again to go, because he’s done a stunning play.
on Martin Zubimendi’s performance:
Zubi, as always, was super steady. I think he controlled the tempo of game. As the game progressed, it was much better because he understood the spaces that there were, where we could weaken the opponent, so that they didn’t run at us, especially, as we had to turn them around, and in general, very well. Not only him, the whole midfield, we’ve found ourselves with a little more space, but the team has grown.
on Athletic Bilbao:
That they are very hard-working, very tough, very clear about what they have to do. They have a coach who gives them an identity and solutions that are very difficult to solve, and that’s why it took it out of us so much in the first half. In the second half, I think they physically dropped a little, but we have also been a little more stable with the ball, and we have travelled more together, and it has been harder for them to run. I think they have had more difficulties, but in general, I repeat, a spectacular atmosphere, and a team that can compete with anyone.
on if the boss will get an assist for his Martinelli substitution:
It’s always very difficult emotionally to leave players out, I know how much they want to play this competition, and what it means to them. Every time you give the line-up, you are disappointing a lot of players, but to have that experience, I looked on the bench, I looked at him, and in his eyes I could see that he was ready, Leo as well. They play with a confidence, and that connection between them as well, and it’s really good. I think that’s going to help us a lot for the season.
on calling our players finishers rather than substitutions:
Yes, I did, and I love it because I don’t like other words to describe the players. I think if the game is developing, they are going to be more important in many minutes, so the quality of those minutes is going to dictate the quality of our season for sure.
on the atmosphere in the ground:
I loved it, I loved the atmosphere, as you said, it was inspired, I think that’s the word I would use. The connection people have, the passion they live with, the game, the match, their team, and that’s inevitable, that energy is transmitted to the players, and that’s why I knew it was going to be a very difficult game.
on managing the players emotionally:
I was very clear, they know how I feel about them, so they know that when I have to leave a player on the bench, or out of the squad, it hurts me. Starting from there, it’s the only thing I can do, it’s my job, I have to make decisions, and I have to make decisions based on increasing the probability of winning football matches, and they know that that’s the only reason why I’m going to make certain decisions, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, and they have to stay with that. And they know that if we want to maintain a certain standard, they are very responsible, not only during matches, but in training sessions, the atmosphere they create, how much they care for each other, so all those things are going to be very critical, and all of them are going to play.
on the head injuries Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres sustained:
I think they are all good.
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