Mikel Arteta was, understandably, happy when he met the press after watching his young side beat Liverpool to reclaim top spot in the league, but you won’t be hearing any title talk from him.
As a manager, Mikel Arteta is still only a rookie.
Still, the 40-year-old’s fledgling career has seen him face Liverpool 10 times, all of them coming when Liverpool were at their height. Somehow, he’s managed to win four of them, including the 3-2 win at the Emirates on Sunday.
So, he had every reason to be delighted with what he saw.
Asked what the result means to him and his team by reporters after the game, Arteta replied, “Just thank you so much to the boys and our supporters for experiencing afternoon like this.
“It’s what our profession is about to live days like this and I really enjoyed it. Especially the way we won.
“I’ve never seen it [the atmosphere] like this. You cannot imagine how much it helps the players and how much it gives them. One of the nicest things we’ve done since we are together here is to unite everybody and make them feel like when you go are you going to experience something together.”
He was then asked how he would keep the players focused moving forward. “Doing what we do every day.
“Hopefully they believe more and have more confidence that we can compete at this level and then win, which is the most important thing.
“Then, stay humble and be ready for the training session tomorrow. There are things that we have to do better but with this enthusiasm and empathy between them to become a better team.”
Did Gabriel Martineli’s performance show that he is one of the better players in the Premier League? “He’s a great player.
“I think today he had an outstanding performance against a top defender and a top team and he made a difference in the game as well as the other players. That’s the next level, to step up in these games and make things happen to win it.”
Martinelli’s performance was an entry point to ask about the possibility of getting Martinelli to sign a new contract. “We don’t get directed by an individual performance,” Arteta replied.
“Gabby doesn’t have to show me whether he plays well or not well today what he deserves. What is clear is his hunger, his determination and his love for this game. You don’t know where he’s going to reach because he’s always asking and willing for more.”
So how far can this team go, Mikel?
“At the moment enjoy where we are, and play with the courage and the belief that we played in the second half and go step by step.
“On the day we play at our best we have a chance. After that winning a football match is dictated by a lot of things you can control and they have to actually do that on the football pitch and that’s a different story.
“[Winning after being pegged back twice] That’s when the feeling of winning is so powerful and meaningful today because I see a team I can identify with and the feeling that they stick to what they have to do and at the same time they have the courage to just go for it, and attack them and put them under pressure.”
That’s when the feeling of winning is so powerful and meaningful today because I see a team I can identify with and the feeling that they stick to what they have to do and at the same time they have the courage to just go for it, and attack them and put them under pressure.
When can we start mentioning title race?
“For me, I’m not going to be mentioning it. You’re not going to hear it from me. We’re happy where we are and let’s try to continue to be there.”