Basking in the glory of winning his 250th game as our boss, Mikel Arteta was a happy man in the Emirates Stadium press room as he tackled questions from the media.
He spoke about Ethan Nwaneri’s impressive display, as well as Martin Odegaard’s impact and refreshing his starting line-up with five changes.
Here is everything he had to say:
on his thoughts on the game:
Really happy, I sensed great energy the last 48 hours, the way everybody came back. I sensed a great togetherness and decided to change the situation and go through what has been a different period for us with all the situations that we have come across and the team. Straight away, from the beginning it was dominant, there was an enthusiasm about it. This is what I demand when we score a goal, it should have been another two or three in the first half.
Then the fact it was a total effort of the team because other players have to come in. I had to take Jorgi out because of the yellow card, Thomas [Partey] comes in, impacts the team, scores a goal. Raheem comes in, he makes an assist, Ethan comes in, he scores a goal. That gives us a different kind of dominance, Jakub comes in to get some minutes in the legs. You don’t play Thomas, you don’t play Declan, you don’t play Martinelli, you don’t play Kai Havertz, and there’s always that question mark, is it right or wrong? I felt it because I think the team needed it, that they all feel important and all have a real chance. Some of the players, the way they trained while we were here, was unbelievable and I have to praise that.
on feeling comfortable in the last 10 minutes:
Yes, it does, but obviously with the 1-0 something else can happen and we missed some big, big opportunities. Unfortunately we weren’t in that position earlier but credit to Forest, they are a really good side, they’re a constant threat every time they have the ball, even when you have the ball, they are running. That’s why they’ve done what they’ve done, they’d not lost a game away from home this season and we are the first team to beat them, and that’s for a reason because we were really good.
on Martin Odegaard’s return to the Emirates:
For these kind of players in the team, it’s always the right time. Again, we talk about fluidity and understanding chemistry and timing, he’s one of the best to do that, to manage the tempo of the game, when to accelerate it, when to slow it down. Obviously he’s been missed and it’s good that we had to sub him because he was starting to get tired and fading a little bit. Ethan comes in and he lifts, you could sense the crowd, the energy and how much they love watching this kid play, which is great.
on if he’s surprised by Odegaard’s impact:
No I value that because it’s very difficult to do after five or six weeks out. He doesn’t surprise me because I see him every day, how he looks at himself, how much he wants it, the energy that he puts in and the courage that he has to play in any circumstances. Obviously, when he’s on the team, you can sense something is different. It is difficult to put a finger on it but it’s different.
