Arsenal lost 0-1 to Villa in an away game. Arteta was interviewed after the game and talked about several controversial decisions made by the referee in this game and his lack of ability to seize opportunities.
What do you think of this game?
I am very disappointed with the result of this game, we deserved a better result. I haven’t seen my team do more than they did against Villa today since arriving at Villa Park in February. But what we did was not enough for us to win. Although we created many opportunities, we lost our sights in the opponent’s penalty area and were unable to send the ball deeper into the penalty area.
What do you think about Jesus not being awarded a penalty and Havertz’s goal being disallowed?
Clear and obvious.
Do you mean these are all misjudgments?
No, no, I just said clear and obvious, that’s what I mean.
So you think it’s not enough to overturn the referee’s decision?
No, I don’t have any opinion, that’s what I want to say.
You won a lot of the ball in the high post and got a lot of counterattack opportunities. In the end, you didn’t seize these opportunities. Does this make you frustrated?
Yes, we had too many very good chances, but when the players had very good shooting opportunities, we were unable to finish. We had two or three chances to shoot with almost no one around us, and we couldn’t score. We were disappointed because we didn’t get the results we wanted.
You replaced Martinelli in the second half. Do you think this made the team’s performance worse?
No, I think it’s because we started the attack in an unwise way, we made rash offensive decisions, dribbling too much from areas where it wouldn’t hurt the opponent and then exposing too much space.
Let me make it clear again. When you say “clear and obvious”, do you mean the handball and the penalty kick?
I don’t want to talk about this, I’m sorry.
Your team seemed tired towards the end. Do you think this had something to do with the last game against Luton?
A team that is always tired is not going to be as energetic, full of energy and perform as well as we did today, and I don’t think you’re right.
How difficult is it to watch the game from the stands?
“That’s the truth. I tried hard to adapt. I think the players have played what our coaching staff wanted and the team performed well.”
Are Villa a title contender?
Any team that can win a lot of games in a row has a chance to compete for a championship, and we have the ability to win every week and so do they.
As a coach, how can you improve the team’s accuracy in handling the ball?
It’s a little windy today, so you’re going to see a lot of missed passes. Of course, I have a responsibility and I have to take it upon myself.