FC Porto manager Sérgio Conceição has responded to Mikel Arteta’s comments after the Gunners manager revealed their opponents were not interested in playing last night.
Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Porto when both clubs met in the knockout stage of the Champions League yesterday.
It was a tough game for Arsenal as Porto employed all the dirty tactics they could get and ensured they won with a single goal.
The Gunners had more possession and tried to create chances, but Porto frustrated them every single time.
Arsenal eventually lost to a wonder goal late in the game, and Arteta insisted their opponents had almost no interest in playing.
Porto’s manager has now replied to Arteta directly and said, as quoted by Noticias Ao Minuto:
“It’s an opinion. They wanted to play, we wanted to win. That’s it. Arteta comes from the school of Guardiola, who is the most honoured coach in the world. They think that the best way to beat your opponents is to have more possession, but that depends on the team and the players you have.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
We had a tough day in Portugal, but our players can still rescue the game. We trust them to do that when we meet in London.
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Pin Concaicao’s comments and all other negative comments to the change room wall to motivate the Arsenal players (and manager) to give their all in the return match at the Emirates.
I’ve read how nieve MA was against Porto OG (and he was!!) while Porto showed how wise they were with their CL pedigree history… Well, if their manager keeps shooting his mouth off and winds our players and MA up, perhaps their not quite as good as they think they are.
As you say, pin the comments up, then go out and ram them down their throats – or, even better, where the sun doesn’t shine!!
Ken, if every team took the approach to play so that spectators only get 50 minutes of football, the punters will stop attending. Dire football will ultimately drive the punters away. Hopefully the referees will be on to players falling down all over the place and cynical cyclical fouling. One only has to look at the attendances at Spurs with the attacking mentality of Postecoglou.
Hopefully Arsenal and Arteta can win with style underpinned by speed, physical ability and mental toughness.
It’s unquestionable the difference of quality between the two teams. Money usually talks.
The only problem here dear Arsenal fans is that your coach was already celebrating the victory before the game started. Our coach adapted to Arsenal with the players we have. Our coach did his home work while arteta did nothing. You say one goal, but you clearly forgot it could have been 2 goals. Also our goal was without any doubt one of the best so far in the CL!
I’m sure Arteta will do his home work in London because if he doesn’t, you can say byebye to the CL against a team that has no quality players to match Arsenal ones.
So instead of saying ridiculous things, look on how things are with your eyes open. Your coach failed and that’s only one fact!
I think Arsenal go in into their Ucl 2nd leg math at home against FC Porto. In three weeks time to play the match and try to win it decisively to knock out Porto.
But I will advice Arteta and the Gunners to be careful and be mindful. To not be in a hurry to dismiss with the wave of the hand of the Porto’s coach statement. That he made to reply to that’s of Arteta after match.
But study and analyse the Porto’s coach statement carefully. So as to understand properly what he has said in his statement.
Which I believe hw ment Porto will likely play the way the played in the 1st leg in the 2nd leg of the match.
Meaning, they will park the bus and mark the Gunners tightly. Give them no room to play their game freely but frustrate them by restricting their attacks to score.
While they will concede tiki-taka ball playing possession to the Gunners. They will in one or two moments of brilliance in counterattack to score. And if they score, that’s could be it for us Arsenal.
I think this is what the Porto’s coach has in his statement making told Arteta. Which has make it competing for Arteta to counter him correctly and nullify him too.
Let them pack their 10 buses and if so be they can add a train but that is after 4-0 down the pecking order…..as lens
I’m sure someone must had said it previously but the game quickly show that we needed Jorginho in the midfield picking passes and opening up spaces! They we had so much possession and the amount of damage he should have been able to do to Porto. It’s a no brainer he starts at home.
The Porto manager was all but admitting that his team is not good enough to compete with Arsenal, so used that negativity and spoiling to get a result, and it worked.
They will almost certainly double down on those tactics in the return leg at The Emirates, so our own game plan will have to adapt. It’s not going to be easy!
Porto won the game, doesn’t matter what their coach said.
Arteta and players just keep your head down and handle business.
No need to talk or preach after fans see you defeat Porto in London. The scoreline will be the best retort, don’t take the bait by responding to his statement.
What he said was spot on, like it or not.”We came to play, they came to win.” There’s a big difference between the two, as seen by the end result. Jus sayin…
Porto is so clever at being very aggressive but then going straight to ground as soon as you try to match that aggression. It must be so difficult to deal with that esp when the referee buys into it. Arteta should bring this tactic up in press conferences and try to make the referee aware of it