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Tell us about Martinelli, do you think it will be okay to play on Boxing Day? And what are the chances of Auba being available for Chelsea?
Answering both questions that we do not know. We have to see how they evolve in the next 48 hours. I’m sure both of you will be very interested in coming to help the team. But we will see if they are available to come and do that or not.
Is there a danger that losing to Manchester City will hurt confidence or are you just drawing a line because it’s a different competition?
We have to draw a line. Tonight a lot of things happened again to get the result we had. We have to focus on the Premier League. We knew it even before today’s game because it is a priority in the situation we find ourselves in. We have a crucial week this week. And we have to stand up and we have to collect the points. So, let’s draw a line and move on.
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Did you see enough fight against Manchester City?
I saw it because when you concede the first goal like we did against this opponent with the situation we are in, and the team reacts as it did, it is not usual. Not just once but they did it twice and to play like we did at certain times. But you also feel that there is some confidence missing at certain times. But for sure the fight, in my opinion, is not the problem.
This time last week, Chelsea had lost two games in a row. Can you learn from the way they responded to a difficult time?
Yes, but we are trying to respond every week and for different reasons we are not getting results. It happened last time against Burnley, a match we should be winning. It happened against Southampton, it happened against Everton and we have to change things. This bad luck or these things that are affecting our results have to change drastically because with those margins it is very difficult to win football matches in the Premier League. And we have the opportunity on a very special day here at home against Chelsea, so let’s do it.
You have talked about the importance of trust. Where do you think the confidence levels are at the moment within the team and do you feel this is an obstacle for you in terms of winning the next games?
The best impulse, the best medicine in this situation is to win a football game. Each defeat is another painful moment, it is another moment of disappointment, it is another moment when you have to get up and that requires a lot of energy. So I think the best medicine for all of us will be to come here against Chelsea, beat them and move forward from there, and it’s exactly what we all need.
Do you and the players accept that the next three games are potentially crucial to avoiding relegation candidates? After Chelsea, two of your biggest rivals fell to the bottom, right?
Yes, absolutely, I think the next seven or eight days will be crucial to see where we are headed in the Premier League.
(Image: Stuart MacFarlane / Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
You mentioned the reasons you lost games, but are you and the players running out of excuses?
I don’t make excuses. I think I have made it very clear in many moments that when we lose football matches it is my responsibility to correct it. And regardless of what they do, it has been us, no matter the opponent, it has been us who have let us down and it is up to us to change it. So, I don’t think I used an excuse.
You are almost protecting the players by taking responsibility. It’s time for them to defend you.
Because I have to and I will keep doing it when I see that they are really trying and trying to do the same. And then mistakes, mistakes whatever happens. I will support you until the last day, and so I think I have to. And of course they have to play the field and they have to do the performances and we are here to help them as much as possible. And we have to accept that right now, it’s not close enough.
You beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final. They then spent £ 220 million on players. How different is the challenge this time?
Well obviously Chelsea always have great players and a great squad. The team we faced a few months ago was one of the best. Right now, you’re probably talking about the strongest roster in the Premier League. They are doing a very good job, I think Frank is doing a very good job, he has a team full of faith and trust. Although in the last results they got some defeats, yesterday they won again. And it is a team that is sure to fight in the best teams in the league.
Is that level of spending, £ 220 million in a window, is it unrealistic to expect Arsenal to compete with that, particularly at this point, particularly given the job you inherited?
I would not like to compare. It’s what they did. It seems to be working well and we are not there at the moment.
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How difficult is it to galvanize a team spirit when the results are not going so well and how have COVID restrictions impacted on team bonding because so much of that is done outside of training camp?
Well, in the moment of keeping the team together, the team alive, being a team not a group of players, being a team right now requires a lot of energy. Because when you are losing football matches you have to collect them, you have to put them together, you have to get everyone to be positive with each other so as not to start blaming any external factor or any individual when things don’t go well. As you mentioned, the best thing you can do when you are like this is to have the possibility to do things out of our sight, put them together, change the environment and at the moment with COVID we cannot do it and you probably will not be able to do it for a while. So we have to find other ways. But I have to say that the players are also putting in a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm not to lose what we are building, but it takes a lot of energy. When you lose games, every game has a lot of weight on your shoulders, it’s another disappointment and people are suffering. We are suffering, we are suffering and you have to go back and be the leader again and try to push the players and they respond and are excited again for the game and it is happening. So that’s what I said, the best medicine, anything other than leaving our facilities, is to beat Chelsea. I think we will be the best team bond that we can do right now.
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