Did you enjoy that performance?
Really happy. It was a big performance. A good football match from both sides, I think Leicester had their moments as well, and they did a lot of good things in the game. Overall delighted because we got the result we wanted.
How good was Jesus today?
We know what Gabi can do. He scored two and got two assists and is still disappointed because he thinks he should have scored four. That’s the standard, that’s the mentality. You need to go to a different level.
How frightening is Jesus for defenders?
I wouldn’t like to play against him. I’ve never been a defender, but I can imagine I wouldn’t enjoy it. He’s so mobile, so intuitive, always sharp and proactive to play in any moment and phase in the game, and it’s a real threat.
READ MORE: Arsenal press conference LIVE: Mikel Arteta on Jesus display, Tielemans chants and Saliba
Do you feel like the fans are as close as ever to you this season?
We tell them every week they are getting better and better. What they did today with William Saliba after the own goal is something I've never seen anything like that in my career. That shows the connection and really to be there when it matters and when it's difficult to be with somebody. We should be really proud to play in front of them because that was special. I think it lifted Willy's confidence and how he played in the last minutes after that and at the end of the game.
You spoke yesterday about paying the bill for Saliba's mistakes. Does that count?
Yes, we paid the bill, but the good thing is we didn't really because we won the game. It's much easier to learn when that happens. I'm happier today than I was last week with Palace because of the way he played after that, I think it was incredible.
Yesterday we spoke about execution and decision-making. In the final third, the decision-making wasn't that quick last season. How big a difference can that make?
You can see the interactions and speed of (the) execution is at a different level now. Their rotation can be the same, and the way they can execute it at that speed and being that precise is completely different. Then it's much more difficult to defend.
I know you'll have a general structure for them to play in, but how important is them playing on instinct as well?
Within the structure, shape and unit, you have the freedom to decide and occupy any space. We work on that every single day.
Do you worry about being able to keep Jesus at that level across a season?
That's why we took him off. I think he's played 18 starts in the last two seasons and we're gonna demand him to start a lot of games, so we have to manage that load when we can. The way we train as well is different, and we have to be on top of that.
Has Jesus' presence made a big difference to Bukayo and Martinelli?
I think it lifts the standards the way every day he is, the way he's talking to them, the way they are connecting. I think it's very natural, but at the same time, it's pretty impressive to do it that quickly. At the same time, though, we're asking other players to score goals as well. Granit is arriving in the box, he should have scored last week, he should have scored two today because he had another header. If you want to be at the top, you're gonna have to score a lot of goals.
How important is Granit Xhaka to the attack?
It's to play the role that we want. Granit has certain characteristics, and we can develop other characteristics because he has the ability to do it. When Fabio Vieira plays in that position, he'll have a different role because his qualities are different and Martin's as well. The team has to adapt, but the players as well have to have an eye for goal if they're playing there and the feeling that 'I want to score.'
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