Both Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard missed golden opportunities to win the game, before the German would miss the penalty to gift ten-man United a chance to go through to the next round. Gabriel Jesus went off on a stretcher and this has only piled pressure on the remaining weeks of the transfer window.
Here is every word from the press conference as Arteta faced the media:
On the performance
Incredible how you don’t win that game, that’s basically to sum up. The dominance, the superiority in relation to the opposition and everything that we did to try to win the game and that’s it we didn’t get what we deserved clearly. But there is an element that is about putting the ball in the back of the net that we did once and the amount of situations chances, penalties that we had we didn’t. We go home extremely sad but I cannot be prouder of my players, the team, the individual collectively what they produced on Wednesday against two top teams it's incredible.
But we haven’t got rewarded and that’s the downside too.
Kai was quickly down the tunnel, what do you say to him?
To him and to all of them that we all love them, individually and as a team they are a joy. What this team produces every three days is incredible, regardless of what happens. I’m not going to lose sight of that because of our results of the two, because we didn’t deserve those results. What can we do better? Let’s try to do it, very difficult to cheat, it's an emotional part it's something related to confidence as well. But very difficult to ask something of that to our players.
Man United tweeted ‘Justice’ to what can be assumed the Martin Odegaard penalty. What are your thoughts?
I comment about my players and my team, not the opposition.
Have you seen the clip of Ugarte allegedly heading Havertz?
No, I have not seen it.
It will intensify the calls to have an out-and-out striker after missing so many chances. Is that an area that you need to look at this month?
No, but I mean we miss from various ways, from different players. I understand guys that but I cannot love my players more and my focus, I’m very much focused on the ones that we have to perform at the highest level, that’s it, the rest is not in our hands, my hands.
Update on Gabriel Jesus?
Big worry, that’s my feeling. He had to come off on a stretcher with a lot of pain, touching his knee. It’s not looking good.
Same knee as before?
No, I think it's the other one. The worrying factor is the feeling that he had. When he had to come off and the pain that he was in.
Danger of not being able to get it over the line. How do you stop that becoming a psychological problem for the players
That is the outcome. We are relying on not performing like this and waiting for one shot to go on target and score a goal, I don’t want to bet on that. I bet on that team to try to do. Are we going to win big trophies? I don’t know. But playing like this, there are very few teams in the world that can play at that level.
Does this add extra pressure for the derby?
Regardless if we won the last two games, it is the excitement, and I am looking forward to play the biggest game of the season for our supporters and what it means to us.
How damaging a week could this be?
I understand the point but it has been a remarkable week to understand what we did again today after what happened three days ago and what we did to two of the best teams in the moment right now. This is what I take. The result, I understand that and I am extremely disappointed, but I cannot put my focus on that. It would be very, very unfair.
Odegaard, missing penalty and then scoring in a shootout…
It happens when you want to take responsibility and leadership. He missed but what I loved is that when I asked (about the shootout) who wants to take it, he was the first on the sheet because ‘I want to take one.’ And they are the players we want. You are going to have difficult moments but it is how you respond to them. He is the captain, the leader and I love he has done that again today again.
The fans leaving during pen shootout when Havertz missed… painful to see them leaving?
No, I did it before. Because obviously after the draw it was there and the moment that I did was to make sure we created that atmosphere that is needed.
Jesus to hospital?
No he has gone home. Probably tomorrow.
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