Every word from Arteta's post-Atletico presser

After watching his team hit four goals past Atletico Madrid to record an eye-catching result in the Champions League, Mikel Arteta gave his thoughts on the game to the media inside Emirates Stadium.

He was asked about the performances of individuals, Viktor Gyokeres getting back amongst the goals, styles of play and more.

Here's what he had to say:

on building on tonight’s performance in the competition:

I'm extremely happy and proud of the performance and the results against a really good side. I was very impressed when I analysed them and what I've seen today about them as well. So, I knew about the difficulty of it. It required a lot of aggression and a lot of patience as well, and the way they managed the context of the game and the way they can manipulate their behaviour was really impressive. With it being 0-0 at half-time, even though we generated two or three big chances, we had to stay patient, but at the same time, increase a little bit, set some areas to damage them more. We've done it, and then in this Champions League, I think we were very effective as well.

on Viktor Gyokeres getting back in amongst the goals:

I think he deserved it, because everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he was helping the team in many areas, apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks, there was no debate about that. It was about keeping that belief in himself, that emotional state, that he can enjoy and play freely. I think he's certainly done that today. Again, he was rewarded with two goals, and the biggest smile on his face. Look at his teammates as well in the pictures and videos, they are all so happy for him because he fully deserves it.

on the work Gyokeres has put in without scoring:

All of it, because he makes us a much better team. I think we've become much more unpredictable. He's so physical, he opens the spaces for everybody, the way he presses the ball, holds the ball, he's just phenomenal. And then there's icing on the cake, and the biggest thing that we're going to debate about him is goals. He has scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals.

on having to select the team with the squad depth:

Very good. I think Myles and Gabby were superb. The impact, the team, the results, they were ready from the beginning, and the boys that come in again, and we use them in different ways again. I think we need to try to keep them all involved, and even if they have a chance to play, and if they play at that level, it's a joy, because it's going to elevate our daily training sessions. That will mean the standard will be higher and we will compete better.

on Myles Lewis-Skelly’s performance:

If you look at it from what he's done from December last year to now, at his age, at this level, it’s incredible. But I said it before, he's been really focused, really humble, and really good. When that happens and you have to play after, you are ready, and I thought he was really good today.

on whether the competition for places pushes the team:

This is what we need, and when you look at the top teams in Europe, that's what they have. We have to manage that in a really cohesive system, when everybody understands that they're going to have different roles throughout the game, or in different games. But at the end, the outcome is to earn the right to win games, and to win games. That's the ultimate goal, and we are seeking the same thing.

on the players' reaction to nearly going a goal down:

You can sense it, every time that the front line was running with a bit of space and time in and around the box, they have this quality. They win a lot of games like that, with individual actions, and they believe in that. He hit the crossbar, thank God, and after that, that's how we scored not far from there.

on responding to critics of Arsenal’s style of play:

This is more about the result of the game. The way we prepare the matches is always to try to help the opponents as much as possible, as frequently as possible, putting the players that we believe have the best capacity and qualities to do it from the beginning. And then this is football, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Today we were extremely efficient, which is key in this competition, and I'm really happy.

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