You said after the win against Norwich that it had been the best 10 to 15 days of your
managerial career. What have the last five days been like?
It’s been even better because winning always helps. The boys were happy because we experienced
the reaction on the fans towards the team on the day. Winning that first match and getting
out of the blocks in the Premier League was vital part of our next moment. So, very happy.
In terms of team news do you have any major concerns going into the next match against
Burnley?
No. Hopefully we’ll get some players back. Everybody trained well this week. Obviously
we have still Granit (Xhaka) suspended, and the rest hopefully they will be fine.
Is Thomas Partey fit enough to start?
He has been training in and out this week. His load had to be managed because he was
in early stages of the injury and what he had. He’s pushing everybody as he always
does and he wants to be involved. We will make the decision for the weekend what is
best for him.
You made seven changes last week. How tempted are you to keep things the same and how important
is continuity?
There is always a balance that has to be involved. There is always the importance of the performances
that individually they put. But collectively what happens and understand the reasons, whether
it was because of the individuals or because of the execution that those individuals had
on the plan that was put in place and the same will be for Burnley.
Let’s see. Everybody trained well and today there is another session, so let’s see what
is best to beat Burnley.
Will you be starting Aaron Ramsdale again and how has Bernd Leno reacted?
It’s the same in every position. We want them to make each other better. We are competing
against the opponent, we are not competing against each other here. We are just trying
to bring players that can raise the level of the player that is playing the position,
the level of the team, the level of the club. This is the only reason.
Obviously for Bernd it wasn’t a pleasing communication when I told him that he wasn’t
playing. But he’s a top professional and a top person. He should be disappointed and
he should support his teammates like they all have with him every time he’s played.
That’s exactly what he’s done.
Burnley are yet to win in the Premier League this season. How wary are you of how desperate
they’ll be to get their first win of the season?
Yeah they had some difficulties to get results. During games that I've watched they’ve been
pretty unlucky in certain moments because they’ve had real moments of dominance and
they end up losing football matches. We know how tough it is to go to Burnley, we know
the game we can expect from them and we’ll be prepared for that.
Sean Dyche has signed a new deal for Burnley. How impressed have you been with the work
he’s done at the football club?
I think he deserves huge credit. With the resources that he had the way he has managed
to establish the club in the Premier League and how he has done it over the years, he
has managed to stick to his beliefs and he’s done it his own way. He has created a unique
identity in the football club which is something very difficult to do in this league. So credit
to him and obviously congratulations.
What were your reasons for going with Aaron Ramsdale over Bernd Leno
That we had to change something. Aaron has come here to try to make us better. We needed
a result on the day and I decided to play him. That’s all.
There were reports in Germany that Bernd Leno might come back for the North London Derby.
Are you going to decide certain games for certain players and what is your thought process
relating to that?
I don’t know where they are coming from but they are ahead of me! I think I am the
one who picks the team at the weekend and sometimes I read things that I haven’t decided
yet. They give me ideas at the most but nothing else because I haven’t made a decision on
my team for Saturday or imagine for the North London Derby.
Johann Gudmundsson has said that Burnley plan to make things as difficult as possible for
you. How do you plan to deal with the threat they bring?
Obviously it’s going to be a different game from when we played Norwich because of the
qualities that they pose, where they want to take the game to. We will have to try to
avoid that as much as possible and do the opposite thing.
Jurgen Klopp criticised them for their tackling earlier in the season and that came up again
after the Everton game on Monday. What’s your take on that?
I don’t know. We all know the rules. We have to respect the rules
and there is an official who has to say and decide what is right and what is wrong.
Do you have any concerns that it has been over the top?
Well they explained the rules. We can agree or disagree, but we don’t have a say. We
don’t have a say here. So I wouldn’t waste any energy on that.
Have you had the conversation with Jack Wilshere yet about him coming in for training?
We are in conversations with Jack to understand as well what he needs what he’s looking
for. He’s a person and a player who has huge admiration from everyone, not just the
players or fans, but all the staff around here. We are willing to help him as much as
we possibly can. He knows that and that’s the situation.
Could that help extend to seeing him in an Arsenal shirt again one day?
I wouldn’t take it that far. What I'm saying is that we are in conversations with him to
decide what he needs and how we can help him?
How important is it that you build on last weekend to show that it wasn’t just a one
off?
Absolutely. Now we have to put a run together. We know how much we need the results and the
performances will lead to that. If we do what we have to do against Burnley we will be much
closer to achieving that. We had a good week to prepare the game. We know what we are facing.
The challenge is going to be big because it’s one of the toughest places to go in the Premier
League, and we are ready for it.
You spoke after the game about how the support of your family helped. How tough have the
first two months of the season been for you?
Life brings you things and you cannot decide it. There are certain things that you cannot
control. When it comes to you, it’s coming, and it’s coming for a reason. Sometimes
we don’t want to see it, but it’s coming for a reason and it’s probably the right
reason. Then it’s about how you take it and how you respond to that. The way everybody
around me responded is probably the way that I responded and that’s why it’s been fine.
It’s tough because it hurts and you want to see something different. But what you want
is not always what happens. Things happen for a reason. Maybe what is happening it had
to happen, and it’s going to be really good for the club, really good for myself and everybody
experiencing that situation. But we have to believe in that.
Do you feel the last two months have been character building for you?
Yeah. When I was a player, I made a decision in my career, because I had a personal issue
with my parents, I decided to go to former club, Real Sociedad. That was tough and I
had other opportunities but I did it to be at home next to them because after it was
important.
I suffered, and I didn’t play, I was on the bench. I always say that was the key moment
in my career to after have more success. I don’t know how you measure to success, but
to enjoy more to go to bigger clubs and have that that was the right moment and everybody
that made those decisions for me and those experiences that I had there.
It was the right thing that I needed in that moment, but at the moment I could not see.
I was annoyed, I was angry, I was really bad with myself, with everybody. But today, reflecting
and looking back, it was the perfect moment in the right moment.
Do you feel there’s real light at the end of the tunnel now?
I can really see the light. There I'm telling you. I’m very positive most of the time
and I have seen the light and I can see the light. There can be bumps on the road within
that light, but I can see a lot of light.
There were reports Bernd Leno reacted badly to being dropped. Have you been worried by
his response?
No that’s not true, that’s not true. He can be frustrated but he was top with his
teammates in training and everything. That’s not true.
Have you had to make Bernd any assurances, will he play in the Carabao Cup for example?
No. That’s what I said to them and I said to the goalkeepers in the past two or three
years. We don’t want to do that. If we want to do is to empower performance and ask them
to train, behave and play in the best possible way how can I guarantee somebody to do something?
It wouldn’t make sense with what I am demanding them to do. So it’s on a daily basis what
you do. What you did three months ago in football, it doesn’t count. So it’s what you’re
going to do today and tomorrow. That’s it.
How hard has it been watching the European games over the last couple of night?
It hurts a lot. In the last few days it was hurting to put the TV on and see those teams
there and not see Arsenal there. It was painful.
Is it a motivation to make sure you don’t have to do it again next year?
100 per cent yeah. I don’t want to be sitting there with Arsenal out of those competitions.
We have the focus and the trigger is there.
Alex Lacazette is out of contract at the end of the season. He had COVID at the start of
the season, but has only played 30 minutes of Premier League football so far. Are you
now planning a team that doesn’t involve him?
No, he’s fully involved. You gave the reasons why he hasn’t played more minutes. He will
be back to the form that he can achieve. I’m sure that he will be instrumental in our success.