Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta spoke at a press conference after the Gunners beat Barcelona 5-2 in the 'Cules' first pre-season match. The coach said he was very happy with the outcome of the London team's pre-season tour and also highlighted their ability to adapt to different pitches, teams and times.
"I think it was a challenge because we had a lot of travelling and a lot of things to adapt to, but I think the team showed a big capacity to adapt to different times, to different pitches, to the heat, to different opponents. It was a really good test but I’m really pleased with the outcome," said the Spaniard.
One thing that made headlines was the intensity of the match, something that is unusual in this type of game. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez criticised the intensity of the English team even saying that it seemed that the team at the Emirates Stadium were playing a Champions League match.
For his part, the Spanish coach was keen to play down the issue: "It got really competitive for a friendly match - after the first tackle, after the first goal. Obviously, in front of 70,000 fans it helps to create an atmosphere. They are elite players, and all want to win, and at the end it got a bit too much at times for a friendly to be fair. But I think we showed all the people that came to watch the game that it was really good.
Arteta also disagreed with the words of the 'Cules' coach: "At the end of the day, football belongs to the players. We’re playing in front of 70-80,000 people, and when it comes down to it, as soon as the game starts, they’ll rebel against the coaches and do what they want as soon as there’s the first foul, as soon as there’s the first game, they’ll start getting intense and they’ll start playing.
July 27, 2023