‘We knew the crowd would be with them’published at 22:36 BST 24 September
FT: Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to Sky Sports: “The biggest thing is the reputation and that’s a big thing. We knew the crowd would be with them if we gave them anything. The second half and the moment they had throw in after throw in. We lacked control there.
“They played direct and they wanted to attack the box and we wanted to avoid that. We had moments in the game where we were very dominant and very good.
On Eberechi Eze: “That’s why we got him for, to win football matches. He should have scored another two I think.
On Eze’s position: “Depends on the players around him and the certain moments the space was closed, so we moved him somewhere else. He is a player who has to be in touch with the ball and we find ways to do that.
On Christian Norgaard: “What he brings is character and leadership. I’m really happy with him and the players that haven’t played much.
“We started with five players that couldn’t finish the game. They dealt with the situation good.
On Bukayo Saka: “We wanted to play him maximum 60 minutes and he comes from a big injury again and we need to manage his minutes.”
