Aaron Ramsey about Francis Coquelin : He makes us tick over

“He’s been really good,”

“He’s very aggressive and doesn’t give the opposition much time on the ball, and that’s why he wins so many tackles. Then he wins the ball and makes us tick over.”

“It’s been really good to see his development this year, he’s had a superb couple of months now so hopefully he can continue that.”

“It is quite comforting knowing that one of the midfielders is behind you in position, thinking more defensively. It is something that he does really well.”

“There are a number of players who are more than capable of putting in good performances in the middle and we have shown that with the number of different combinations we’ve had this season,”

“There’s definitely a fight for our places and everyone is keeping each other on their toes - it’s good that we have that strength in depth now.”

arsenal.com

Olivier Giroud : I am lucky to have great players around me

“I’m not superstitious,”

“I started this game like normal and I am lucky to have great players around me who know me very well, so I try to put it in the net and that’s all I want.”

“I got a bit lucky for the first one but I anticipated Danny’s deflection and for the second one, Santi knew where to put the ball and I tried to win my duel.”

“It’s nice for the team because we are on a really good run, even if we were disappointed about the Champions League - we want to finish really strongly and finish in the best position by winning every single game.”

“There’s still eight games to play so we need to focus on our games and step by step we’re going to see. First we need to win every single game and then after we need to see if City or Chelsea miss one of these steps.”

“You never know, you have to believe in football and that’s why we want to win every single game.”

Arsenal.com

Nacho Monreal : I feel very well with a high confidence

“I’m very happy with the games that I’ve played,”

“This season I feel very well with a high confidence and I’m playing most games. I feel fit so I’m happy with my game.”

“I would like to get back and play for the national team but I know it’s very difficult because there are three or four other players at the moment who play left back and they are younger [than me].”

“It’s complicated but I’m very happy because I’m playing really well for Arsenal. I will try to do it and if I play for Spain one more time or more, I will be proud.”

Arsenal.com

Mesut Ozil : We Proud of Ourselves

“I want to praise the whole team,”

“We dominated the whole game there and gave everything. We couldn’t find that last goal but we can be proud of ourselves.”

“We knew that Monaco would make it difficult for us by playing defensively. We dealt with that very well and created a number of opportunities, that we unfortunately didn’t convert.”

“We can be satisfied with that. We’ve got lots of important games coming up, especially in the FA Cup, where we’re in the semi-finals again.”

“In the Premier League everything is possible and we have to look forward now. We have important games in front of us that we want to be successful in.”

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Per Mertesacker : We can beat any team in the world

“[We feel] very good, very positive,”

“We have to cope with difficulties and criticism in our job, that is part of it, but we have a good chance to repair it."

“We want to do better and make better decisions. We did something wrong [in the first leg], but can we learn from that and put another performance in? We need another performance and obviously it is not going to be easy, but we have to show a different face.”

“We have moved on and improved a lot, so that’s why we are very confident that, even away from home, we can beat any team in the world.”

arsenal.com

Arsene Wenger : The Desire is There, the Belief is There

Champions League Preview :
Arsene Wenger Interview

About Stats : No team has turned around a two-goal deficit in the away leg of a Champions League tie

"The statistics don’t matter," he said. "They are against us. The result from the first leg is against us, we’re conscious of that.

"But no matter how big the percentage is, we are going to give absolutely everything to make the stats lie. That’s our desire and that’s our belief we can do it."

About Olivier Giroud

"He owes a great performance for himself as all the greatest strikers want to do as well as possible on the pitch,"

"He missed a few opportunities in the first leg but what striker doesn't miss an opportunity?

"I really think he is at the international level. I believe this. He has the right mental level. We have to trust the people who play at this kind of level.

"We will need to be really creative up front in order to create some opportunities,"

"We had a lot of chances in the first leg actually, more than people said. It is true that Giroud didn't manage to convert. But now he is in better condition. He got over the disappointment of the first leg and will do everything to be at the top level."

About his comeback to Monaco

"For me, it is very special moment,"

"I was a young coach here at Monaco… I have a lot of respect for Monaco and I want to thank the whole club."

"Tomorrow will be a Champions League game, and the experience I have gained can help me to make the right decision," he added. "I am able to separate the emotion of coming back and the importance of the game. I am here for work and my job is for my club to win."

About France

 "It is a bit of a concern if it rains a bit but I just went up there and it’s good, very good," he said.

"When it rains in the south of France, it rains, it doesn’t drizzle. They had to postpone a game recently against Montpellier because of the game but apparently the conditions will not be bad on the rain front."

"The French level is very good," he said. "I always had the highest respect for the French league, because when we play against a French team we always have a mountain to climb as they are physically ready, well organised and I think in France they are up for Europe as well, very focused on it.”

"It is always very difficult to play against French teams. Having said that, our record with Arsenal in France is absolutely outstanding. We have always done well here."

About the Opportunities

"Ideally you want always to score early goals,"

"but I believe you just have to play with full power, not forget your organisation and structure in the team and the goals come when they come. We must focus on the quality of your game on both sides, defensively and offensively. Nobody can predict when the goals will come.”

"You can expect us to show a different side to our game. We totally missed the first leg against Monaco, which was surprising. We did not play well, but sometimes in life if you miss a chance you do not have a second chance, We do, so we will play it fully."

"The desire is there, the belief is there,"

"Football is not predictable but I can predict the desire and belief will be there to do well. We play in the Champions League last 16, we have experience and we know that anything can happen. As long as we believe we can do it, I am confident we will."

arsenal.com

Arsene Wenger : About Gabriel Paulista

“He has good pace, he’s good in the challenge and he’s tall - so he can adapt to English football,”
“Maybe it will take some time to adapt completely, but overall it’s very good to have him.“

“He’s very ambitious, focused and serious. That’s important at a club like ours - you need to have a complete focus on your job. He has that.“
“I like the players who come from nowhere and show they can adapt. From Brazil, he has [then] adapted to Spain. That means he has already made it and adapted in another country. That’s another important quality.“

“We needed another centre back because we have lost Debuchy. Monreal can play centre back and we are a bit short there if something happens, especially with the Achilles [problem] of Koscielny since the start of the season.“
“We needed some cover, or we would not be responsible. [Gabriel] can play right back and left back, and that is of course a good quality as well.”

arsenal.com

Arsene Wenger : We Can Beat Anyone

About the performance
I think in patches it was very good. The goals put us under pressure and [Rosicky] got the third one which eased it a bit. But you have to give credit to Brighton, they came at us. But with the results About Saturday not going for the Premier League teams, we knew it was going to be a tough game. That is what the FA Cup is about.

About Rosicky disguising his pass
That is what Tomas does all the time in training, he looks the other way and passes the ball. It gets me all the time! He has that quality going forward, I love the way that he turn and breaks. It is nice to get three goals, but we are disappointed with the goals we have conceded. We will look back About that and what we could have done better. But in the FA Cup it doesn’t matter how you perform, as long as you get through.

About the perfect start
Yeah, it’s been a long time coming. I had a lot of chances since I have been back, but I have been out for a year so it is still going to take time. It is just nice to get some match fitness back. I was very pleased with the finish and there will definitely be many more. People will be expecting me to score every game now but it’s all about getting the match fitness, sharpness and the goals back. The goal was a bonus.

About a nervy finish
That’s what the FA Cup’s about. BrightAbout did very well and we did very well in places. It was a typical FA Cup tie. It was always going to be tough given the results that happened yesterday so the most important thing is to go through - we did that and we’re into the next round.

About building About the Manchester City win
It was breathtaking at times against Brighton. It’s nice to get back in amongst it as well. We’re getting players back to fitness and when you do that there’s a competitiAbout for places - the manager’s going to have a bit of a headache picking his best 11. It was nice to go through.

About whether BrightAbout surprised Arsenal
They didn’t surprise us at all - it was the same as a couple of years back. It was always a tough challenge which is what makes the FA Cup so special. We’re just very grateful that we got through in the end and Tomas’ goal was a fantastic finish.

About BrightAbout making Arsenal work very hard
The results yesterday told us that this was always going to be tough, always going to be a challenge. You’ve got to give credit to Brighton, they came at us but thankfully Tomas’ fantastic finish gave us the win.

About starting well
It’s always important to try and silence the crowd at the start of every game and we managed to do that by playing some fantastic football in the first half. We started to start playing slightly off in the second half but that’s what happens in the FA Cup. It’s just important to get through. It’s an opportunity that we need to grab.

About the goal being another step in his rehabilitation
The goals will come but I’m just enjoying being back with the guys and working About my fitness, getting the sharpness right. I was blowing quite heavily towards the end but I was very pleased with the finish. The most important thing is that the team got through.

About retaining the FA Cup
We’ve got to believe that this is a great opportunity and we want to hold About to the cup. It’s our cup and it’s a massive opportunity looking at all of those teams that haven’t gone through. It depends About the draw but we believe that with the team that we’ve got and the players coming back to fitness, we can beat anyone.

About the returning players
It is like new signings that have come into the dressing room, the likes of Mesut coming back, getting a goal and doing very well. The sharpness will come with games and the competitiAbout is going to give a headache to the manager to pick his best XI. the players who have come in have done very well so it shows that we have a great squad when everyone is fit. I think we can compete for anything.

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Calum Chambers : I’ve matured a lot

“I think I’ve matured a lot,”
“I’ve worked on my game, I’ve watched a lot of my performances back and I’ve gained a lot of experience both in playing in the Premier League and in Europe.“
“I think I’ve added a lot to my game, which is good. I just want to keep working hard and keep learning from each match I play.

“I’ve played a lot and I’ve been happy with the first half of the season. I’m confident in my own ability and I hope the coaches and the fans are happy with my performances.“
“Now I have to keep that going in the second half of the season - carry on enjoying my football and building on what I’ve done in my first six months here.”

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Arsene Wenger : If we think it’s the right price we will pay

About Transfer Rumour of Gabriel Paulista (Villareal Defender)
“We are talking at the moment. Can we find an agreement or not? I don’t know. We are slowly progressing but there’s a chance,” the manager said.
“We are ready to pay the price we think is right for a good player, no matter what the price is. If we think it’s the right price we will pay.
“[The deal is] 50-50 at this moment. We respect the rules in England - when you buy a player who does not fulfil the criteria and needs a work permit, you go in front of a commission and they tell you yes or no. We will accept that.”
“First of all I don’t really understand the logic of this rule,” he said. “[I don’t understand] the logic that the availability of the work permit is linked exactly with the amount of money you spend. It should be linked with the quality of the players only.
“Secondly we want the player. If a player we want needs a work permit then we’ll [do] it now because we will not necessarily want to do it in the summer. We are short at the moment so no matter what the rules are, we have to do it now.”

About English Premier League nowadays
“I think the quality and the audience of the Premier League all over the world is big,”
“Maybe Europe is getting poor but the rest of the world is getting richer.
“The rest of the world invests in football in Europe, and at the moment, only in England. Will that last? I’m not completely sure.“
“The second reason is that it’s down to you - to television - and down to the fact that the television [companies] in England pay the money that makes us richer.
“I’m always a bit cautious to use the word ‘best’, but it’s certainly the most spectacular and certainly the most attractive to watch for sure.“

arsenal.com

Theo Walcott : This is the Best Attacking Line Up We’ve Ever Had

About the Amazing Alexis Sanchez
“You see somebody working so hard and it makes you want to try to back him up,”
“When you see what he does off the pitch, behind the scenes at the training ground, and how much work he puts in, all the players just stand up and think ‘Yeah, I need to a bit more as well then’.“

“It’s about getting that balance right. We told him during the Christmas period to relax a little bit, but he still cracked on with his gym work! He’s that sort of person - nothing will make him tired. It’s healthy to see, because the Premier League is very fast, but he’s coped with it fine.“

“He is amazing because he spots things that a lot of players won’t. I tend to make my runs off the ball and he is always looking for that. He drags more players on to him, which creates more space for other people and I do the same thing.“
“It is a great balance and once I am fully fit, I think it is going to be some force for the Premier League to handle.”

About Attacking Option in Arsenal
“Danny is a workaholic as well - he runs around and really works for the team,”
“There are so many options and Alex [Oxlade-Chamberlain] is also doing very well.“
“Obviously there is me as well coming back, and then you have the likes of Aaron and Jack in midfield. The list goes on, that’s how good we are going forward. It is a headache for the manager when you have that many great attacking options.“

“When I came, it was Pires and Ljungberg, Bergkamp, Thierry and Reyes - that’s some attacking force as well. I think this squad probably does beat it, but we need to prove it first.“
“[When] we go and achieve a little bit more than winning the FA Cup, then I think we can stand up and say this is the best attacking line up we’ve ever had.”

Olivier Giroud : You Need Cold Blood in Front of Goal

“You can always improve yourself but you need to have talent,”
“Talent is not sufficient on its own, though. I always repeat that because it’s important for young players to know it.“
“You need to have something that all strikers have in them. You need to keep lucidity in front of goal and have cold blood, like we say in France, in your veins. You need to be a born striker with a killer instinct.“

“I looked up to Andrey Shevchenko and Jean Pierre Papin [when I was younger]. Eric Cantona as well, but the one who scored so many goals was Titi Henry.“
“He played for my team, Arsenal, so I was impressed by his performances. He has done really well in his career, especially at Arsenal. If I can do half of what he has done I will be happy.”

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Thierry Henry : Santi Cazorla was Outstanding

"What I'm happy about is that they played well as a unit,"
"It wasn't so much about the ball, it wasn't so much about skills. But you can also play well in the way they played. They were playing as a team. There wasn't anything for Man City today, and you sensed that right from the start."

"People want to see commitment, desire and togetherness, and today all three was there. As long as you show that to the fans, they are happy. Before, they were allowing teams to run all over them. That wasn't the case today."
"He controlled that midfield. To come and play the way he did here at the Etihad Stadium was outstanding,"

"What a player. I said before the game that people were focusing on Sanchez but at the moment, Cazorla is the guy that makes the team tick. Sanchez didn't have a great game today, but they won 2-0."
"When was the last time you saw a Man City team not have a single chance to score? I know they had a couple of shots but they weren't great opportunities."

"He's always smiling. I also like the fact he was trying to calm people down when Arsenal were under pressure."
"It's very important for him to be in the middle. It's a different story when you have to play out wide. I don't think he has the body or the leg work to be out there."
"Once you're in the middle and you're not far from everybody in terms of pressure, he can do that all day."

football365.com

Santi Cazorla : The Team Today was Perfect

About the Game
We played very well and we defended strongly. When we defend like that, we have many chances to win games.
They have so many top players - Silva and Aguero - so we needed to play together in defence and play on the counter-attack. I think today [we showed] a very good spirit.

About the Penalty
Of course. When I take a penalty, I only think to score. The most important thing is to help the team.

About Hardworking
Yeah but if we wanted to win today, we needed to defend together and work hard, because they are a very good team. The team today was perfect and the three points were very important for us.

arsenal.com

Arsene Wenger : About Match-Winning against Mancherster City

About Team Performance
The difference is that we have injured players back who were out for a long time and also that we know it’s a very important period. The confidence of the team is high and some players are in very good form. We scored the first goal today and it was much easier for us to control them. We always looked dangerous when we won the ball but we had a good solidarity level and a good compactness, and the regret of the day is that we didn’t always take advantage of the situations we created in the final third. There was room to maybe score more goals.

About the Competition
Time will tell. What is for sure is that it increases the level of belief and confidence. We have five months in front of us that are very important in the lifespan of the team and what you make of that will decide our season. Games like that can help you to do very well.

About Santi Cazorla
Since Cazorla has started playing centrally - he played wide a lot and now he’s at a level of his career where he can have more influence centrally - he’s been fantastic because he gets you out of pressure in very tight situations. He finds openings that are very interesting. He is a good example for young players, he shows you how important it is to be two footed in the middle of the park - it’s a vital quality for a midfielder today - and he does that very well. He loves the game.

About the Penalty
My initial reaction from the bench was that it was a penalty. Somebody told me that we were a bit fortunate to get it, but from the bench it looked a penalty. I have to watch it again.

About Francis Coquelin
I took him from France at the age of 16. Today he is 23. He has gone through some difficult periods but he’s a learner from his experiences. I’ve always kept faith in him, because I told him three months ago that he needed to play somewhere. He accepted to go down to Charlton and had convincing performances. Now he’s come back, I’ve played him and he’s done very well.

arsenal.com

Olivier Giroud : About Super Sunday Winning against Man City

“We wanted to win tonight because we always play well against the big four but we haven’t managed to win, so it’s great for us and I think it will be a game to remember,”

“We learnt from our mistakes because we played too much of our own game before. We played well this time because we waited for them and we played well on the counter-attack. Afterwards we scored, tried to keep a clean sheet and we could have scored more goals."

“Defensively we were really compact and we didn’t let them play through the lines. We knew that they liked to play behind our midfielders with David Silva and Sergio Aguero, so we were aware of that and always created chances up front."

“We know we need the momentum to come back into the top four and we are in a good run. We have kept three clean sheets so we need to keep this up. We always create chances to score and hopefully we can continue to do this for the rest of the season.”

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Santi Cazorla : About Next Super Sunday Against Manchester City

“It will be a great game - if we want to win we need to play a perfect game because they are a top team,”

“It will be a good test for us but I am confident.

“When we played at Wembley, we did very well and also at the Emirates. We could have won, but they scored late on. But we need to play like that because if not then it is very difficult against these teams.

“We need to play with more spirit, with more aggression and be very focused - if not these teams will kill you. [That is why] we need to be perfect if we want to win.”

arsenal.com

Arsène Wenger : About Arsenal Plan in Winter Transfer Window

"Yes we are more [in the market now]," he told Arsenal.com.

"We have Chambers and we have Bellerin, who is coming on well,
and I want to give them a chance as well,
but of course we are in the market like many other clubs.

"We work really hard morning until late night to try to get one or two players in."

arsenal.com

Yaya Sanogo on Loan to Crystal Palace

 Alan Pardew :
“He’s a young player with tremendous promise, somebody that I have tracked personally and this club has too so that fitted well.“

“We have given him an opportunity, he needs to play more games and I think he’s ready for that and he proved that at Arsenal. It’s tough to get in their team but he’s closer to the starting action with us.”

Yaya Sanogo :
“When the Arsenal manager spoke with me about Crystal Palace I was very happy because I want to play more games.“

“I think Palace are a good team, I watched the game against Tottenham and it was a great performance from the guys. I hope I can help the club have a successful second half of the season.”

football365.com

Arsenal Team : About Alexis Sanchez Performance against Stoke City

Arsene Wenger :
The better the team plays, the more he is involved in the game because we attacked a lot. We had a very offensive team today and he’s confident. He’s another - like Giroud - and we can be direct with him, you can run at people a bit more, so there’s a good combination offensively.

when you play at home - our pitch is perfect even in winter - you can move the ball well when you have so many technical players on the pitch. It is an advantage for us. What was important for me is that we kept a good concentration to play the game how we want to play and also that we kept a clean sheet at the back. Overall, I must say that everybody played very well. The only negative today is that we lost another experienced defender with a dislocated shoulder. That gives us a problem because we are already short of experienced players at the back.

Lauren Koscielny :
Alexis is amazing because he’s played more than 25 games and he still runs like it’s his first game. It’s amazing and it’s not just in attack - he defends well. If he needs to run back to help us defend, he does, so he has a good mentality, which makes him a world-class player.

Ox Chamberlain :
He’s amazing. He shows it week-in, week-out and I think that’s the most important thing for top players to do. It’s about consistency and it’s not good enough to just be good one week. Everybody wants to see you great every week and I think Alexis has done that all the way through this season. He was brilliant again, scoring two good goals and setting Laurent’s goal up as well. Hopefully it continues for him because he’s having a great season, he’s brimming with confidence and obviously it helps the team as well so it was another great performance from him. There were a lot of good performances out there but obviously with the two goals and the assist, he’s the star of the show.

Santi Cazorla :
Alexis is one of the best players in the world, he’s very important for us, he plays very well every game and I hope he can play the same all season.

arsenal.com