What did you make of the game?
Really happy obviously. Great performance, a great day. It was an incredible atmosphere to play in so I’m so grateful to the people who connect to the team in such a special way. I’m really happy because it’s an opportunity to get a lot of people happy and proud and I think we delivered that to all of them.
Did your team fully deserve to win?
I think we deserved to win the game.
Spurs had that 10-minute spell at the end of the first half where they looked in control. What did you make of that?
You’re gonna have those moments against Spurs and all the big teams. You have the feeling every time they connect with those front three every time and you have to live with that. But I don’t think that we played at all with that in the back of our heads. You could feel in the players from the beginning the courage, the freedom and the energy to go for it. This is what we demand them to do.
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Who gave the pre-match team talk
I did.
No surprises this time then?
No.
Could you see the passion in the players straight away when you went out?
Yeah. I could sense it straight away since the day they came back from internationals they were ready and focused for it. It’s so meaningful and we know what’s at stake in this game, it’s a bit more than three points. You have to play with that passion and as well with that coolness in your head. I think the players did that brilliantly today.
What pleased you most in Partey’s goal?
The moment that the ball was going into the net and I could see it was going into the net! And then of course the celebration.
What did you think of the 21 passes in the build-up?
Great. But if we can score in one I prefer that. It’s quicker, you’re closer to the goal and it’s easier to do. It’s our way of playing we train every single day. But I think as a team and what we want to do is probably reflected in the right way in that action.
Is the positive emotion at the ground what has propelled you on from a tough first couple of years?
Absolutely. I think it starts in that dressing room. When you get the right people and the right players and that’s taking them to another level with all the members of staff that are a huge part of the team. It doesn’t matter what level, it can be the highest level, you start to get connected and then you start to deliver that on the pitch and transmit certain things on the pitch. Then you connect the way we have done with our fans and it becomes something really powerful. I think this is the biggest success that this group of players are having.
How important will that be to sustain the momentum when the World Cup break comes?
It is (important) because the next match in the Europa League here is going to be really tough, but we have that now and it’s so powerful and meaningful for us. The next step is to go and do many other things. But we have to, first of all, have what we have, and with that group of players, I think it’s much nicer and easier that something can happen.
Did the team need the win against a ‘big six’ opponent to silence critics of the kind fixture list to start the season?
100% needed because when you play such a big game you want to win. Those opinions are correct because when you look at the start and just put it in that context you can do it, but it’s about how you give and receive information and how that affects you or not.
Does a win like that send a message to other title contenders this season?
For me, the message is to the players and everybody here at the club that we are able to play at this level against this kind of opponent. That should give them confidence and belief.
Are results like this a big vindication for the way you see the game?
I don’t see it from that perspective. What we’re trying to do is for Arsenal football club and we have already have a certain way of playing and being because our history tells us that. That’s what we have to translate, what are certain beliefs or behaviours into actual habits and practices.
Does the game intelligence after Spurs’ red card make you happy?
Yes because a lot of them are really young and to go through those emotions and to understand what the game demands right now can sometimes be really tricky, but I think they were really intelligent and mature in the way they handled the situation and they did what I think the game demanded in the moment.
How important is staying top of the table?
It’s great. Looking at the table and seeing the club in this position is great. It gives you a great feeling obviously. But we are focused. It’s a really hungry and humble team believe me. It’s nothing that we have done yet and there are still a lot of things to improve. That’s the direction we’re taking.
When can we say you’re in a title race?
I’ll leave that to you guys honestly. We just started and we’re really happy with where we are. We understand that you can’t control because emotion is related. The table says what it says and we don’t look at that.
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