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Some of the after game press Interview Arteta did with papers etc
90 minutes were a game of two halves but how do you reflect on another defeat
Well, obviously enormously disappointed with the result again. After conceding again an own goal we get back in to the game, we conceded a set piece that we worked on but to be fair they are really good at doing and from then on we had complete dominance of the game.
We controlled them really well, the counter attacks, a few options where we lost the ball inside which is impossible to control and then. We start to get more and more dangerous in the final third.
We know when we are attacking this low block when they are in front it’s complicated. We generate a lot of situations but they don’t end up in big chances. Sometimes it’s a cross, sometimes the last action or our shot, our conversion rate has been really low. It’s something that we have to improve dramatically.
And then when we need a little bit of luck we hit the post we had some big chances and we don’t put them away. The reflection is a little bit similar to the last few weeks. That you are better than the opponent, that you dominate the games.
Normally when you are under this huge pressure and in this position in the table you get battered by teams. They are willing to do things the right way and I’m gutted for them as well because they need a result and we played a game that I think we had to get something out of.
Some people would say that the tempo wasn’t quick enough today especially in the attacking sense. No chances created today no chances in the second half. How do you respond to those critics
Yeah, I think the first half the first phase was slow. Whether it’s because players are restricted and they are afraid to make a mistake, or just because we felt that it was comfortable to do it. But the second half it was much better, we talked about it at half time that people has to be quick, the intention the movement to attack the spaces and we did it much more efficiently but it wasn’t enough to score more goals.
You are on a run of 14 points in 14 games. We knew when you took the job that it was along term project. How do you reflect on the season so far
Well, the season highlights at the moment is the situation that we are in in the Premier League. We have done really well in Europe and the cups, but we are really struggling to get results in the Premier League. Again when we analyse the games the reasons we are losing football matches compared to other teams winning the margins are so small, but we need those margins very quickly because if not the situation gets impossible.
How long is Aubameyang expected to be out for and are you expecting him to return as soon as possible
Yes, we want him as quick as possible he has a small strain. We need a few days I don’t know if it’s a week or two weeks. It will depend how the injury evolves.
It’s your worse start to the season since 1975 now. It feels like Groundhog Day with your answers, you’re seeing a lot of the ball but you’re not creating enough chances. How can you go about changing this, You know you’ll need to change it very, very quickly don’t you
Yes, but the opponents are not generating anything. We lost against Burnley without conceding a single shot on target as well. This is how teams win a lot of games in the Premier League. And we are not going to generate 15 or 20 chances against blocks like that it’s not realistic.
When we have done as well we haven’t been accurate enough to finalise those actions so it’s a bad combination. Sometimes it’s been that we played with ten men, the other week we conceded an own goal, today we conceded an own goal. It’s a lot of things happening at the same time so when that
happens it’s difficult.
You’ve spoken about the need for time and Vinai and Edu have come out and said similar but you’ll know yourself that if this goes on much longer you’ll be in a position where your position almost becomes untenable wouldn’t it with this run of results
I understand that. My energy and my focus is only on getting the team out of that situation, maintaining the spirit of the team, the fight that the boys show every time they go on the pitch and the energy the boys show on the pitch.
You can see that, you cannot deny that. Obviously we are against the results, it’s not good enough, it’s not good enough for the standards of this football club and this is the challenge. And the fact that we are against.
And how much pressure do you feel under at the moment
Yes, obviously it’s a really complicated situation. But I am very encouraged from what I see from the players to try and continue doing what we are trying to do with things that of course we have to improve. But as well I think we’ve been very, very unlucky not to pick up many, many more points.
