Interview

Arteta - Hopefully the players learned a lesson 

Mikel Arteta made no attempt to hide his displeasure after we were outplayed by Leeds in the first half of our Emirates FA Cup third-round tie.

What followed was a much-improved showing after the break, and a victory was secured by Reiss Nelson's strike.

So what did our head coach make of it?

"That the first 35 minutes, we cannot play with that rhythm against a top side like them who batters opponents every three days," Arteta told Arsenal Player. "I tried to tell them before the game, to convince them that is what they should expect but I think they had to experience it.

"If they play like this, they were going to suffer and [Leeds] were going to make you look like a small team. If you change that, you start to win duels and start to win the ball much higher up the pitch and you are better organised with a much better body language, then I think you are going to enjoy your profession.

"It is a physical issue, but it is also mental and [about] heart. We did much better in the second half than the first, and normally everyone is saying we are dropping in the second half because we can't maintain. Look how they finished the game today.

"We got the reaction we wanted. We try to convince them every day to play in that certain way and hopefully, they learn a lesson today."

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