Mikel Arteta spoke with the media following Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Manchester City this afternoon, which saw them lift the FA Community Shield.
He opened by stating, “I am extremely happy with the performance, and with the win, we talked about the desire that we have to start the season and to show ourselves how much we want it, and I saw a lot of positive things there against a top opponent.”
Summer signing Christos Tzolis got off to the perfect start today, registering the assist for Arsenal’s second and third goals, as well as receiving high praise from his manager; “He has a massive quality, which is that when he’s in the last 20 or 30 metres he’s so composed in and around the box with his decisive actions, and he’s shown that again today.”
Arteta reflected on pre-season by saying, “I think today is down to the preparation we did in pre-season, and the decisions that the boys have taken after the World Cup to make sure they’re prepared and wanting to play in this competition. I was very impressed with the manner that we played and the manner that we competed, so that’s the standard for us. I’m sure that we’re going to be really, really competitive.”
This past week, Mikel Merino said Arsenal have “the best midfield in the world”, and Arteta backed this up by saying “it’s the best midfield for Arsenal, that’s for sure, and we need everyone to complement their qualities to the player next to them.”
Speaking on his side’s willingness to “go again” after their league title win last season, Arteta said, “I want to live that moment again. I want to live it even bigger; we know what it will take and that it will demand something special, but we are ready for it.”