In the second half of his pre-Brentford press conference, Mikel Arteta fielded questions about the visitors’ prowess from throw-ins, how Declan Rice can emulate Bees defender Michael Kayode, copying tactics from other clubs, and Arsenal’s interest in a multi-club model.
Here’s what he had to say…
On Michael Kayode’s long-throw threat…
A massive weapon, that’s it. We all know that.
On his experience defending against Rory Delap’s throws and Brentford having a similar weapon…
Unfortunately, yes [I faced them]. And we suffered, with the wind as well, which made those throws [dangerous], and the profile of their players. But yeah, [Brentford] certainly have that weapon, like Stoke had, and other teams who are trying to build as well because of the difficulty. Because of the organisation of the teams, to score goals and to produce big chances is decreasing. They have that opportunity every time the ball goes out of play.
On what it’s like trying to defend long throws…
Normally, I was more outside the box because of my size, so I was lucky that I didn’t have to compete for the first ball. But the word probably… it’s a very chaotic situation, and it’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen.
On Declan Rice not being as dangerous as Kayode from throws…
Who is? Everything has to evolve. I don’t know how good he [Kayode] was a year ago, or two years ago, or three years ago. I know how good Declan was taking set-pieces three years ago and four years ago, and I know how good he is now. So it doesn’t happen overnight. Things have to be trained, evolved and tweaked, and the player has to believe as well, which is key. He can become anything that he wants. When you look at him, Declan can do almost everything that you require him to do.
On what he means when he describes Declan Rice as the team’s “lighthouse”…
Someone that brings a focal point, clarity and direction to everybody. So you just look at him and you know where you have to head. I think he’s got that presence, he’s got that aura and he’s got that character to be that person and have that role in the team.
On Rice being a very likeable character and whether that’s important…
Yeah, because it’s something to respect a player and something else to admire the person and the player. And I think Declan has both of them. And that’s very difficult, especially in this society, to achieve because there is a lot of opinions and there is a lot of rivalry between all the clubs. It’s like Bukayo [Saka]. In general, to have that feeling towards a player, even if you’re not their supporter, to be able to get people to feel that way about you, I think it’s a big thing.
On facing Brentford’s set-piece prowess in the first game of the 2020/21 season…
The preparation of that match was an absolute nightmare because it was the first game of the season and for 12, 13 days, I think we lost seven or nine players with COVID. And we were really struggling with it. But now I look back and I say, yeah, we learned a lot, we suffered a lot, and that makes you better, hopefully. I think we became better.
On Arteta saying previously he’d support Arsenal exploring a multi-club model and if anything has happened on that front…
I don’t know exactly where we are. Exploring, I think, is always good to see if we can take any advantage and it can be something that can optimise our operation and what we’re going to become in the future. But that’s up to the club to decide whether it is the right thing or not.
On Chelsea having link-ups to “park” young talent and therefore having an advantage…
Yes, in that sense, yes. And with the regulation that we have actually in the Premier League as well. At the moment, we don’t have that resource. We have many others, not that one, so let’s see if in the future it’s something that we can have.
On Ruben Amorim revealing Manchester United have stolen set-piece tactics from other clubs, and whether Arsenal have done the same…
I think we all do that, but it’s not about copying and pasting because, at the end, your individuals have to be able to do that. I imagine every manager tries to learn from other teams and other tactics and do that, whether we tell it openly or not – about set-pieces or about your high press or about your restart or about the final third or certain unit combination that you had or the way you manage the game or whatever. I’m sure we all do it.
On whether he takes it as a compliment if other clubs follow Arsenal’s tactics…
Yeah, you see certain patterns suddenly in other teams, whether it’s set-pieces or in many other phases of play, that it’s like, hmm, this sounds familiar. Recognising it, yes or no, I pick this from that, or this defending throw, this positioning that I really like; instead of being with that player, with that player from a different team. I mean, that’s part of the evolution of any manager, every team.
On Keith Andrews being promoted from set-piece coach to manager…
I think what he’s doing is special. I think what he’s managed to do in that very short period of time, after, obviously, the legacy that Frank left at that football club, I think it’s remarkable what he’s done.
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