Mikel Arteta took questions from the media at Villa Park following our first league loss of the season, against Aston Villa.
The boss was questioned about a number of topics, including congestion in fixtures, important refereeing decisions, and not being on the touchline.
This is what he had to say:
Regarding the outcome, I’m really unhappy, especially considering how we performed. We played better than they did, and I felt like we were the superior team. Since we came here in February, I haven’t seen a team perform as well against Villa as we did today. With the number of situations we created, we were unable to put the ball in the back of the net with enough accuracy in the opponent’s box to win it.
Regarding the Douglas Luiz challenge and the final VAR ruling:
lucid and evident. lucid and evident. That’s my meaning.
Regarding winning the game: We had a ton of great chances, some of which we didn’t even take advantage of when they were fully open. There’s not much more we can ask of the team than to play every three days, but we still had to choose the correct player to shoot, and when we did so twice or three times, it was virtually an open goal and we failed to score. I am incredibly happy with the way they played, but I’m also unhappy because the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for.
Regarding Gabriel Martinelli’s substitution in the second half, we did so since our offense didn’t rely too heavily on him. We began to make snap choices, put the ball in behind too soon, and play from positions where we couldn’t possibly affect them and would later be exposed. It was sufficient, in my opinion, to obtain far more than we did.
Regarding tiredness near the end: We didn’t play against Aston Villa with the same level of energy, dedication, and quality that we did. A tired team doesn’t play that way. It isn’t the case, in my opinion.
Regarding having to watch the game from the stands: I tried to adjust, and I believe the boys did a great job trying to communicate our needs. The team also put on a strong showing.
Regarding Aston Villa’s chances of winning the championship: It will be up to each of us to prove that they deserve to win each and every week in order to be in the running, but they are undoubtedly in it at the moment.
Regarding how we may prevent wasted opportunities: I believe that today was a little windy; a lot of balls are lost; some passes require the proper touch and accuracy. Though I’m not sure, I
