“We are enjoying the Premier League leadership, but it's just the start!”

17.09.2007

Arsenal players are in a situation that they haven't experienced for some time. After beating Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday, the London-based club is in the lead of the Premiership, showing clearly to its competitors that unlike last year, they do not want to just look at the struggle for the title. Having scored three goals in each of the last three matches, the Gunners seem to be in excellent form and are shutting the mouths of those who, until recently, considered their style trashy and fruitless.

What is the atmosphere like in the club after the win on Saturday?
”Excellent, and it's not just that we are in the lead after quite some time. It's also that we managed to get there in a highly competitive derby, which is what the fans always appreciate a great deal. The atmosphere after the game was indeed very special.”

You were not part of the starting line-up, though. Do you have any health problems?
”No, no, I have been OK since I came back from the national team rendezvous. It was simply the manager's plan. Anyway, I was in a lot of action over those nearly 45 minutes I played, and the last thirty minutes were the crucial stage of the game.”

Arsenal dominated the match already in the first half, but failed to convert their chances. What was the difference between the two halves?
”We were really a lot better than Tottenham already before the halftime break, but the score didn't show that. They led 1:0 after the only good shot they had, but it was us who dominated the pitch at the end of the game. We could have scored even more goals, we really had plenty of chances. However, the fact that we scored three goals in each of the last three games confirms that our style is efficient enough”

Efficiency is probably what makes the biggest difference as compared to last season. You would often dominate the pitch, but you seemed to find it difficult to score. As a result, you lost quite a few points. What has changed?
”It's difficult to tell, perhaps it's that we create even more chances this year, and that we are more experienced and more accurate in shooting. However, the main reason is that the team is relaxed and that we are doing well. The start of the season is always very important and we are now enjoying being in the lead, but it doesn't really mean much in terms of the whole season, because the League has just started. What I consider most important is that our competitors did not expect us to be at the top of the table this early, and they see now that our plans are ambitious.”

Now you have to forget about the Premiership for a few days, because the Champions League is about to start.
”That's right, we need to use our greatest strengths also in the cup and start the group stage well. The first team we are playing is Sevilla, and that surely won't be an easy match. We wouldn't mind being as efficient in shooting as we have been lately…”