Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta explains what he changed at half-time to seal Leeds FA Cup win
Arsenal beat Leeds United 1-0 in the FA Cup on Monday night but it was a half-time speech from boss Mikel Arteta that saw a reaction from his players which helped them secure a place in the fourth round of the competition.
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta discusses January transfer window
Arsenal beat Leeds United at the Emirates on Monday night but the Gunners were struggling in the early moments of the game and by half-time they had only managed three shots on goal compared to the Whites’ 15 attempts.
However, Mikel Arteta saw a response from his players after the break and Arsenal’s domination was rewarded, when Reiss Nelson found the back of the net with a scuffed finish in the 55th minute.
After the game the Spaniard admitted he wasn’t happy with the lacklustre performance he had initially seen from his players, but was pleased with how they rallied in the second-half.
“I wasn’t happy at all,” Arteta said.
“When I see what I don’t want to see, I cannot be happy, and I have to let them know.
JUST IN: Man Utd exit deal announced, £17m Barcelona bid, Tottenham consider £51m Arsenal hijack
“Now, I'm really pleased but we saw two different teams from the first to the second half. I tried to tell them exactly what they were going to face.
“After 32 minutes we had won one duel, I think.
“We changed our attitude, desire and organisation at half-time and then we were completely different.
DON’T MISS
Chelsea handed boost in transfer battle with Real Madrid over wonderkid dubbed next Kaka [TRANSFER NEWS]
Daniel James reveals what Man Utd players said to him on his first day at Carrington [TEAM NEWS]
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho gives verdict on transfer plans after Middlesbrough draw [TRANSFER NEWS]
“I watched a lot of Leeds games and they battered every team every three days.
“It was good for my players to learn and to suffer on the pitch. I think they relaxed after beating Manchester United.
“We are not good enough to relax.”
After the final whistle Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, who picked up the man-of-the-match award, revealed the squad hadn’t respected what Arteta had told them before kick-off.
“He shouted quite a lot,” said Lacazette about Arteta’s half-time speech.
“He was not happy because we knew they were going to play like this and we didn’t respect what he said.
“For the second half it was better and thank you to Reiss for the goal.”
And Nelson thinks Arteta is loving his new role as a manager and insisted the young coach wants to bring a high energy and tempo to Arsenal’s game.
“As a coach I think you need to have the aggressive side and he’s loving as well,” Nelson said.
“In training he’s always asking us to press with passion and play with purpose and I think we played out wide and in the middle and it’s all going on.”
Arsenal will now take on Bournemouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Dean Court, with the tie scheduled to take place between Friday 24 and Monday 27 January.