This match has the potential to be extremely tight and competitive given
both side’s form this season. What are your thoughts on that?
Yeah, it will be a really difficult game. They’ve been
in a really good run, they are playing well, they are getting the results that they deserve
and it’s a really competitive match that we have ahead and we know the importance of it.
How much do the team take heart from the fact that Arsenal did the double over Brighton last season?
That’s a different season, different momentum. We should not focus on that. Just focus on how we’re
going to get prepared to have the best possible performance and after that to try to win the game.
There’s no Granit Xhaka due to his knee injury. Does this pose a selection issue for you or is
this a chance for some players to show how they can be adaptable and flexible to your system?
Obviously it’s really bad news personally for Granit
because a couple of incidents already this season – with COVID, with the suspension and now with a
long term injury. But he’s a strong man, he will use this time to focus on
other things and I’m sure he will be back in the right place when he’s back. But he’s a big
player for us, he’s very important and he will be missed. But other players have to step in.
What do you make of Brighton’s strong start to the season under Graham Potter?
That they deserve it. It’s a club that Graham has taken where they changed a little bit
the way of playing and they’ve been getting good results and have been
very consistent in the way they play. Credit to them and he’s doing a good job.
What’s the prognosis on Granit Xhaka?
First of all it’s obviously a significant injury, but he probably escaped an even worse
injury that he could have had on the action, because that action on a cruciate ligament,
it’s a tricky one. So, it’s what it is. His mentality is top. He knows what he needs to
do now. Hopefully he can escape surgery as well which is something really, really important.
And after that, just start preparing himself in the best possible way because time flies.
What has the feeling been like this week after the convincing Tottenham win?
Well obviously it’s a special match. Winning in front of the fans and
as you said the way we did it, in a convincing way and getting the result that you wanted.
Enjoy it for a little while. Now put that game aside and all our focus should be on Brighton.
We have experienced a beautiful day with our people but we want another
one after Brighton. We have to earn that and the best way to do it is to focus on that game
because there are things we can improve from that Spurs game.
Do you feel your long-term plan is now starting to come to fruition?
The plan is in place, but the things that matter for the plan to
evolve and develop is the present. We have to focus on what we have to do in
the present because the rest has already been designed, planned and we’ve thought about it.
But what is going to allow us to do that is the present so we have to focus on that.
Ramsdale coming in for Leno causes problems for Bernd Leno.
How is he managing not playing at the moment?
It causes that everybody has to raise the level and I think that’s really positive.
It’s happening in different positions and you can see when players are coming in now,
they are fully ready to take the place. Now it’s going to happen with Granit
and before it happened when he was suspended and it happened in other positions.
Players are coming up and showing they are ready because the way they train and
the way they behave is top. So after, they get rewarded when they have the minutes.
How do you think Ben White is progressing?
Well I've been very impressed with how he handles the pressure, with how he handles the situation of
coming through the Euros, the big fee, and the composure and the calmness that he shows.
As well the willingness to learn and improve because he realises he’s still really young
as well, he’s still in the development process and there are things that he can achieve.
We all really enjoy being together and we have to continue like that.
How does it help when fans at the Emirates are buzzing?
I’ve always said, I’ve been here for 20 months, and for 15 or 16 of them, we haven’t
had our people with us. It’s impossible to build anything because they are the biggest
part of our foundation. When they are with us and they are embracing what we’re doing
you see the difference because they are able to create momentum and create the enegry and
the passion that they did at the weekend. When that happens the team responds.
You’ve been nominated for
manager of the month. It’s amazing how different that is to last month.
It’s the beauty of this sport. We all know that
perspective changes quickly, in both ways, so you always have to be on your toes.
You lost your first three but you’ve won your last four
in all competitions. Are you expecting it to be a bit of a rollercoaster this season?
Hopefully not. This is what we want to avoid, we don’t want that. We want to be
stable and consistent in performances which will lead to results.
We know this league is so competitive and anybody can beat you, so as I said before
you have to be on your toes because any detail can change any momentum.
Is Ben White and Gabriel your number one centre-back pairing going forward?
Well they played really well at the weekend. Their understanding is getting better, the cohesion with
the back four as well is getting better. The more they play they will keep on improving,
and we have different partnerships that they can work. But certainly they did well at the weekend.
How good do you think Emile Smith Rowe can be?
We will see. He’s very good right now, and he can get still much better. There are things
in his game that he must improve and develop. He’s so hungry to do that. So it will depend on
how the teammates help him, how we can help him, his confidence, his head, how he takes
the next step. How he handles with pride and how he handles the negativity as well.
Do you feel there’s a similar feeling with Emile to when Jack Wilshere came through?
It’s exciting, that people are seeing our academy players with potential to become
big players for the club. That’s already a joy that they think that’s the case because we
believe they have the potential to do it. That potential has to become reality and fulfil it.
With players going away to red list countries during the international break,
is this now another chance to reiterate the advantages of getting vaccinated to them?
Yeah we have tried in various ways. At the end, the decision is for the players because
they are not forced to do it. Obviously, it would be extremely helpful for clubs if
they can do it because it wouldn’t affect their mobility and then after it wouldn’t
restrict their ability to compete with the clubs who are responsible to pay them, look after them
and play the majority of the games in the season with.
For the last few years at Arsenal it’s always felt the club are never too far
away from a crisis. Is it time the club move away from that now?
I think that feeling is very necessary at a big club,
because every defeat is a crisis and it should be a crisis. You have to deal with that pressure. If
you want to be the best you should be able to cope with that. You have to realise that excellence
is the only way and the only thing that’s expected. Everything else is not good enough.
Does it not add so much unnecessary pressure on you
and the team when one defeat can change the dynamic of the club?
It’s the history. We have the great history that we have because we have that competitive edge,
that mentality as well and that willingness all the time to look further and have that ambition.
In order to achieve that we have to be able to deal with that.
How much is losing Xhaka going to be a blow in the next few months because he seems like such an
integral part of your team?
Well he is. He’s a big, big loss. We’re going to lose him for a while. We’ll try to keep him
as close as possible to the team. He will evolve and develop in other areas. It’s the
first big injury that he’s had. We are here to help him and I'm sure we’ll find some
ways around it in the team because we have some really good players who can do the job.
Is
one of those players Ainsley Maitland-Niles?
Ainsley is certainly one of the options and we have used him quite a lot in the start of
the season and he's doing really well and I'm pleased with what I've seen from him.