Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said in the press conference after his team’s 2-0 victory over Port Vale in the third round of the League Cup that the club’s reputation was at stake.
Arsenal secured their place in the fourth round of the League Cup after claiming a hard-fought victory over League One side Port Vale, who did not give up until Leandro Trossard sealed the win in the final minutes.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta was pleased with the team’s victory and the clean sheet, which also included Kepa’s debut. In addition, the Spanish manager added that these are games they must win because the club’s reputation is “at stake”.
“Something that was discussed before the game, I think what was at stake in this game is your reputation as a club, as a team, as an individual. And we play these types of games, I’ve been here long enough to understand it’s going to be very tricky. I think we started the game really well, very dominant, scored a goal, and had another three or four chances that we didn’t manage to score,” he said.
“In the second half we lost a little bit of grip on the game, especially with the direct play, with all the throw-ins to the sidelines and winning territory, and then again, we lacked a bit of dominance and control. With a few adjustments, we got back to that, and we scored a beautiful goal, the second goal, the ball from Willy [Saliba] and the quality of Leo on the finish is top drawer. In general, happy with the win, the clean sheet and the debut of Kepa for us today, Ebz’s goal, his first for the club and then the fact that even making nine changes, the team can still perform really well,” he told reporters.