Arsenal Lobby

El Gunner wrote:Sometimes Theo has no sting in his shot. Need to work on that as well.

Q: Do you remember the day you decided to leave Barcelona?

A: I was in London for a weekend and on the plane home I told my mother that I was going to the Arsenal. She replied: “Have you thought this through?”. It was a difficult step, but I had a hunch.

Q: What did Wenger say to you?

A: At that meeting, with my little bit of English (laughs), he told me that if I made progress he’d give me a chance, and so it proved.

Q: Have you ever regretted the decision to leave?

A: Not at all. I’m very happy to have made the move. The simple fact is that playing in the Premier League and the Champions League makes me very grateful.

Q: You arrived in Arsenal in 2011, and already you’re an obvious starter. Has it happened too fast?

A: I never thought it would be so fast. I’ve played 38 official games at 20 years of age. Not too many can say the same.

Q: Did you think about leaving on loan last season?

A: I did consider a loan after the signing of Debuchy. The loan at Watford the previous season did me a lot of good. The scouts at the club had several offers, but Wenger decided I would stay after the Emirates Cup. I was ahppy that the coach wanted me to stay, but I saw few possibilities to play.

Q: The injuries to Debuchy and Chambers changed everything.

A: Football is like that. It gave me the opportunity to play and I took it, and when Debuchy returned I had the confidence of the manager to keep playing. I understand it’s difficult to give so much playing time to a 19 year old, but Wenger always says that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

Q: It wasn’t an easy start though.

A: At first you focus on not making mistakes. It’s difficult to play your best football, this comes with time. After two very difficult games, I had to prove they weren’t the norm. I’m now fully adapted and I feel like an important player. In your second season there are more expectations. In the first year you try to learn, and in the second to show that it wasn’t luck, that you deserve to be here.

Q: You have 2 goals and 2 assists in 28 league games. Where can you improve?

A: I’m 20, I’m just starting, there are lots of things I can do better. I started as a winger, so perhaps I need to put more emphasis on my defending.

Q: Speed tests say that in the first 40 metres (4.42 seconds), you’re faster than Usain Bolt (4.62)!

A: I worked really hard on my speed in the gym when I played in the U18s. This data was talked about a lot. In Arsenal we have some really fast players, like Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis … but in the tests nobody has beaten me!

Q: What are your fondest memories on an individual level?

A: The goal against Liverpool. I opened the scoring in front of our fans and against a great team … I watch the video and it still gives me goosebumps.

Q: What has changed at Arsenal that makes you title challengers, winning trophies again after a 9 year drought?

A: In other seasons there were a lot of changes. Now the team is more settled. We’re all friends and you can see this on the pitch. I believe we can do great things.

Q: In the Premier League you’re second only 2 points behind Man City, but in Europe you haven’t yet won any points.

A: We have underestimated some of our rivals … for one reason or another we haven’t started in the Champions League this season. Now we have two games against Bayern, we have to score if we want to qualify.

Q: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are considered the best players on the planet. How does Alexis compare?

A: It’s very difficult to say if he’s at their level, but he’s close. When he gets the ball you know it’s likely it’s going to be a goal.

Q: Does Cazorla, more than anyone, define the style of Arsenal.

A: For us, if he’s not our most important player, he’s certainly one of them. He moves the ball in midfield, this sets the rhythm, and he can score goals.

Q: You’ve just signed a new contract, but do you see yourself returning to Barcelona?

A: Nobody has ever asked me this before (laughs)! I came to Arsenal to stay here, I’m not thinking about going back. I’m happy and I’m playing. It’s my fifth season and I feel like this is my home. I see it as very difficult to leave.

RealGunner wrote:Well, we can always hire Arteta.