Every word from Arteta’s post-Leicester presser

Mikel Merino dominated the post-match talk after his late brace earned us all three points against Leicester. 

Mikel Arteta was naturally asked about his performance in his post-match press conference, but the manager also discussed the team’s display overall, the title race, Myles Lewis-Skelly’s goal-line clearance and more.

Here’s a full transcript…

On today's performance...
A very tough match – the first half, especially the first 20-25 minutes, we struggled to get certain momentum because we did a lot of simple things very wrong, giving a lot of balls away and they were really threatening and generating enough momentum and sequences in the opposition box. But, in the second half, it was very different. We had much more urgency, better intentions, better executions and then you can sense that the game was going in the direction that it had to go. Saying that, there’s a moment where we give the ball away in the middle of the park, the space is opening on the counter and Myles has to make a magic touch to prevent the goal and at the other end, that’s when we’re scoring the goal with the subs. They were brilliant, and Mikel obviously made a huge impact to score the two goals. 

On if Mikel Merino is the answer up front...
We’re going to have to share that, we know that. We’re going to have various contexts; sometimes we’re going to have to make a sub because a player isn’t performing, or because the opposition is doing something else, or because someone’s a yellow card, or it’s fatigue, that’s going to restrict what we do really in terms of the personnel. We have prepared for different scenarios then those have to work, hopefully they will work as good as Mikel worked today.  

On Merino's goal threat...
I didn’t think that to be fair [on the comparisons to Marouane Fellaini], but Mikel has got that. He’s a goal threat, because he can smell danger, he can anticipate the action, he’s got really good timing to arrive into certain areas and then he obviously has the capacity to execute with that part of his body. He needed the delivery, certainly had that as well and he put it into the back of the net. 

On the different profiles in our front three...
I think the game started to suit him more because they started to defend much deeper and we had more momentum, more sequences, more set-pieces as well in that period and we started to believe that he could impact the game. We were lucky that he did it. 

On putting pressure on Liverpool after they dropped points...
Yes, and it was [important] for us as well. Everything that happened in the last few days, it was a lot of noise to show how much we want it, because regardless of what happens, we’re going to really go for it, that we believe for the resources that we have and the quality of our players and still adapt and be competitive and still win a lot of football matches.

On when we decided to play Merino as a striker...
Well, I put forward all the options but there were too many. The moment you start to draw options, there are too many and at the end you have to have the picture in your head of what can work and what are the variables and options and the synergies in the team, and then you have to feel it. That’s a feeling on the pitch and seeing what is happening actually, what is the game demanding, and we believed that it was him in that moment and then to get it right, he needs to deliver which is the hardest thing in football.

On players stepping up until the end of the season…
For sure, and if it had been earlier in the game, because Ethan puts the ball onto the crossbar and then the post, we have another massive chance arriving with Declan in the first half. It can be a set-piece, it can be in various ways, the team has a lot of capacities in open spaces. Today, we were really dangerous when we had the ability to run, and that’s what we need, that we are a threat in every situation.

On Raheem Sterling…
Everybody [needs rhythm]. In the first half, especially in the first 20-25 minutes, we weren’t at our standards and when that happens, you look to the front players. 

On Myles Lewis-Skelly's last-gasp clearance...
To be fair, on the bench, I didn’t know whether he touched it or not, or it was a deflection from the cross. When I watched it back in the dressing room, it was amazing, because it was one of the moments that could change the game and probably the result. 

On Ethan Nwaneri's talent...
What he’s showing basically, that’s him. Obviously, his age is something that puts a question mark on how we have to deal with him, but every time that he’s given us,  he’s always ‘let me go, let me go, let me go.’ When a player is giving you all those signs, you shouldn’t stop it, and you have to play with that freedom, that creativity, that confidence that he’s playing with at the minute and the players around him are believing in him. So, let him go because he’s a massive threat, massive talent and he deserves to play.

On Nwaneri's defining contributions...
I think there were a few in the first half as well, every time he was on the ball, he made things happen. You could see that he had another level of threat and the rest of the team, and he continued with that in the second half with two great actions. And after that, he puts the ball on the plate for Mikel to score the header.