Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says It's only half time and reacts to Arsenal 0 - 1 PSG in the Semi Finals first leg
29/04/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
29/04/2025
Emirates Stadium, London, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:01Mikel, what was your assessment of your team's performance this evening?
00:04We are half-time, half-time and my message being exactly the same post-Real Madrid at home, 3-0.
00:12We have to go to Paris and win the game and we are more than capable of doing it
00:17because I saw two very good teams where the margins are so small and they had efficiency in front of the goal
00:23and their keeper as well made a difference to see the result that we've seen tonight.
00:27Do you think your side was missing anything this evening?
00:30Yes, certainly we don't score a goal and concede one, you have to.
00:34But we did a lot of things very well as well.
00:36We had a spell in the first, I think the game had phases, the first 15-20 minutes,
00:41especially them scoring so early in a great combination, play when the margins are so thin,
00:46the finishing is unbelievable.
00:48And then we had especially one issue that we corrected after 15-20 minutes
00:53and we sustained that for the rest of the game,
00:56which I think it turned the game around.
00:59And you want to win the Champions League final, you have to do something special
01:03and we're going to have to do something special in Paris soon to be there.
01:06What was the issue that you changed?
01:14It's very rare to see a team play that way and dominate Arsenal in that first 20 minutes the way that PSG did.
01:20What was going through your mind at that point and were you worried about where that might lead?
01:25But if we don't correct that, it was an issue we had with the ball in a very specific moment,
01:29you don't have the chance to press them.
01:31And if you don't have the chance to press them, they start to bring all the midfielders back,
01:34you're going to struggle because that's exactly what they want to do to you.
01:37James, CBS?
01:38Hi, Mikel.
01:39I know you don't want to go into too much detail about what exactly changed,
01:44but could you maybe help explain more what was going wrong in those first 15-20 minutes?
01:49Not a lot.
01:50I'm telling you, it's just something that is very specific but very important,
01:53especially the way we played.
01:55We corrected it and it's not easy to correct it constantly, but we did it and we did it much better.
02:01And then at the end we have two hours from players, 1v1 with Dora Muna.
02:05The score of the goal is different and he made the saves like he did against Liverpool and Villa
02:10and that's the difference in the Champions League, the margin is so small.
02:13We had the disallowed goal as well and another two big situations that happened in the game
02:17that didn't go unfortunately our way.
02:19Mike Delimero?
02:20Is it still 50-50 the tie?
02:23I don't know the percentage, but we have a lot of chances to be in that final.
02:28And as I repeat myself, you have to do something, especially in the competition,
02:32to end the right to be in the final and the time to do it is going to be in Paris.
02:36Tom, Football London.
02:37Hi, Mikel.
02:38Can I just ask you about two moments?
02:40The referee became a bit of a target, I think, for the fans in the grounds.
02:43There was one moment where Bakayi Saka, in a one-on-one situation,
02:47the referee's whistle blows.
02:48The other one, Martinelli or Hakimi, has already been booked.
02:51Could you just get your thoughts on those at the moment?
02:53It's so clear.
02:54I don't think I have to give my thoughts.
02:58Okay.
02:59We've got Rodrigo here from TNT Mexico with a question in Spanish.
03:03Hello, Mikel.
03:04Here is Rodrigo Lara, TNT Sports Mexico.
03:06We are in middle time.
03:08What do you have to improve for the next game in Paris?
03:11And Wayne Rooney said that you were decepcioning with the atmosphere of the stadium.
03:16What do you think?
03:17What's up with you?
03:18You have to do with your team.
03:19There is always a great advantage, about the results, about the efficiency in the area.
03:22Because the margins are very small, they are two teams that are all in a single One line and
03:27every advantage can go from one side to the other, and you have to go from your side and
03:32we will be sure to make some adjustments.
03:33and depending on the context of the game, we will do more adjustments and from there,
03:38we will go with a lot of ilusion, with a lot of desire and with the feeling that we can do it.
03:49Hello Mikel, I know you don't want to talk about the árbitro.
03:52In English or Spanish?
03:54Spanish is fine, Mikel is fine with Spanish.
03:56I know you don't want to talk about the referee but it's not about crucial decisions
04:01but maybe he stops too much the game.
04:04Is that your complaint about the referee?
04:07No, there's no complaint. They are here to try to do their work in the best possible way
04:12and they certainly try it and sometimes we can have different opinions about certain situations
04:17and that's the case.
04:19Alex from the BBC and John Murray to finish off.
04:22Hi Mikel, before the match Declan Rice has picked up saying
04:26if we don't have the ball, we die.
04:29What was the message from you to your players about having control
04:32about every single minute against this PSG?
04:35You cannot.
04:36This is one of the best.
04:37This is beating all the English teams, the best teams in this country.
04:41So you cannot dominate this team in 95 minutes.
04:43Impossible, forget about it.
04:45And you have to understand what it means dominating them and in which area of the pitch
04:49and we have to be very clear.
04:51Again, what we have to do, where and when we cannot win it,
04:54make sure that we take the game what we want.
04:57Okay, finally, if John Murray leaves you ready, project John, project.
05:01Mikel, will the performance have to be significantly different next week in the Parc de France?
05:11I think the margin were so small, so I don't think so.
05:15But if it's significantly better, hopefully the result will be significantly different as well.
05:20Okay guys, thanks very much.