Mikel Arteta spoke to TNT Sports after Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Atalanta in the Champions League and admitted his side were not at their best against the Italians.
Here’s what he had to say.
What do you think about it?
As I suspected, it was a very tough game. Not pleasant to watch because it’s all about man-to-man marking. We started the game really, really well. We really controlled the game, played in the areas we wanted to play in, created one or two chances and then just lost a lot of balls.
We didn’t develop rhythm or dynamism, nor did we develop passing sequences that would have allowed us to play in the areas we wanted. And we hardly conceded any penalties.
Let’s save…
The penalty was probably one of the best saves I’ve seen in my career and the second one from David. He was incredible once again.
About missed opportunities …
We needed the other end, the two big chances we had with Gabi, to put them in the net. This is Europe, these are very different games to the Premier League. Lots of positive aspects, but there is certainly still a lot to improve.
Are you disappointed with your team because it is not performing at the required level?
Well, it’s a game that demands the best individual players and to achieve that, players have to be at their best, really composed and really good in the tackle and we definitely missed that tonight.
Was Riccardo Calafiori a positive presence when he came on as a substitute?
Yes, he was really good too. I thought when he came in, this will help us to be a bit more relaxed and dominate the game better. But yes, we have to improve.
