アーセナルは今シーズン二度目の敗け。

PLでアウェイ3連続勝ちなし、ポッシブル9ポインツのうち7ポインツを落とした。ちょっと深刻なアウェイフォームだ。

わしは、あの最後の瞬間のショックがでかすぎて、日曜はほぼ一日完全にアーセナルから離れた。

しかし、こういうときファンならそうすれば済むんだけど、関係者は否応なしに地獄のような気分でしばらく過ごさねばならんわけだ。とくにマネジャーや選手。気の毒としかいえん。

ぼくはあの試合の敗けはある程度しょうがないと思っている。

フィットネスコンディションという意味では、お互いに中二日の似たような状況だったが、あのスタジアムでチームがサポーターから受け取れる追加のエナジーは全然違っていた。場所が違えば結果も違っただろう。だから、アウェイの試合はタフなのだね。

チームのスタイルもある。インテンスなハイプレスはアーセナルの守備の基本で、そこをきっちり遂行できないと相手のビルドアップを許し、毎度苦しくなる。そのために必要なエナジーがなかった。

ぼくが知るかぎり、PLには南米やほかのヨーロッパ（あるいは日本）などのような、鳴り物で統率されたみたいなサポーターしぐさはほとんどないんだけど、とにかくチャントがすごい。Villa Parkのファンは、敵を罵り味方を鼓舞する多種多様なチャントをずっと大音量でがなり立てていた。※日本の中継は現場音のバランスがやけに小さくてもったいない

だから、0ポインツの結果は、完全にチームや選手理由じゃない。

といって、あのような結果や劇的な敗けかたを受け入れられるわけじゃない。悪い結果のときはいつも、アーセナルにもっとできたことはなかったのか、うだうだと考えてしまう。

Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal: Emi Buendia scores late winner to lift Villa into second

アルテタの試合後コメント

試合直後のアルテタのインタヴュー。AFC公式サイトより。

Losing it in the manner that we did in the last kick of the game was very painful and disappointing. We put everything into the game to try to win it. We had spells when probably we weren’t at our best, especially with the ball and we put ourselves in trouble after regaining it.

But after we generated a certain good momentum in the second half, we scored the goal and my feeling is we’re going to go and win the game. So, to lose it in the manner that we did is painful, especially for the players, because I know how much they put into it.

Credit to [Aston Villa] as well, they are a really good side and they keep you always on the edge in the manner that they play. It is a good test as well for us, we’ve been 18 games unbeaten, performing and winning almost every game and now we have to hit that one. Now we have to go again and every three days we have a game, so I’m sure we’ll be ready.

We’ve been winning and winning and winning, we needed to stay on our feet, prepare in the best possible way for the next game and now it’s exactly the same,　[The undefeated streak ending] was going to happen at some point, we didn’t want it to happen today obviously, but we need to move on and go again.

If we could play tomorrow, I would be happy in terms of getting the feeling out of the defeat, but it’s time to reflect as well as a team, and to learn from it. A lot happened in the recent weeks as well to us, but the team has still performed and acted in the manner that they have done.

試合後の記者会見。AFC公式サイトより。

on losing with the last kick of the game:
Obviously we are extremely disappointed with the way we lost the game, but first of all I want to congratulate Villa because they are a really good side, and they are really good at what they do. We had some difficulties in the first half, especially with some very unusual giveaways that we have given after regaining the ball, which is a really dangerous moment against them. But apart from the Watkins situation, which is a foul, I don’t recall anything apart from the goal.

The second half, we started really well, much more positive. We generated chances, scored the goal, and my feeling was that we were going to go on and win the game. We could have lost it before, again with two very dangerous individual giveaways, and we didn’t. We had two chances to score, the last one with the ball across to Declan and we didn’t capitalise on that. The next goal kick [went] long, it goes there, second ball, we put it away for a throw-in, they played fast, a lot of chaos in the box and they managed to put the ball in the top corner, which is the quality of this league, so that’s the summary.

on the impact of the result:
That’s the league. You go to Old Trafford, you go to St James Park, you go to Chelsea, you come here – we’ve been in a lot of difficult grounds and today the result could have been different. The reality is not, and that’s the step that we have to make. We’ve been 18 games unbeaten and still we are there, very close to each other. That’s the level of the league and we know that. That’s the opportunity that we have ahead of us and that’s it. Now it’s time to bounce back. They have given me all the right reasons to think that we’re going to continue to perform at the same level, because what the boys tried to do today, again, with the schedule that we had, it was amazing. So, [we] move on.

on if the fixture schedule played a part:
I don’t know. At some point I thought we were going to win it and then there were moments that we gave very strange giveaways that had nothing to do with us. But it’s football as well, but the boys are willing to put absolutely everything in, they tried. The situation with Leo is the same – he could only play a certain amount of minutes. We made the decision to do it [the sub] earlier and we had to do it after, that was the reason we had to change it and learn from it and go again.

on having to rotate the defence due to injuries:
It is what it is, and we have to cope with that for a period of time as well, we know that. And the team has to be able to adapt to that, not look for excuses. Obviously, we know what those two [Gabriel and William Saliba] bring, especially in a game like this. But the other two [Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber], I think they were exceptional as well today.

on coming back from behind in previous games:
We try and we’ve done it on many occasions and today I certainly had the feeling that we could do it, but the game was constantly on the edge because we gave two goals away as well. Very dangerous, and in those open situations again, man-to-man in the last line, they are really good at attacking those channels. We’re going to have to learn from it, the way we conceded the first goal as well, very far from our standards, so they are learnings that we can take for ourselves and then give credit to the opponent as well because I think they are a really good side.

on if Aston Villa are in the title race:
They are. When you look at where they are, the way they play, they have beaten some big teams, especially at home. Everybody is going to have to play everybody, so at the moment they are where they are and we are there as well.

on Cristhian Mosquera’s injury:
He’s going to be out for weeks unfortunately, it’s much more than what we expected. But the player was feeling it, so he’s going to be out for weeks.

on the players’ mood post-match:
Everything that they have put in the last two weeks and the results that we got, the performances and to lose it that way emotionally is very touching. You just feel that everything that you put in, it hasn’t been worth it. But it is worth it, because we will learn again from today and it will make us a better team again.

on coping with the ups and downs of the Premier League:
It’s five months into the competition and so far we’ve coped. But we’re going to have to prove that we can cope again and again and again for another six months, that’s the level. If think we are going to be in this moment with 10 points clear, I think we’re living in a different world.

ヴィクター・ヨクレスの試合後コメント

AFC公式サイトより。

We are of course disappointed with the result. It’s not a great feeling right now, but it’s only December and there are a lot of games to play.

You can always find some positives, but it’s still a very difficult way to lose a football game. It’s tough right now, but we’ll look forward to the next one soon.

We have to keep creating chances and get shots on goal because then you’ll eventually score more goals. So yes, that’s of course a positive and we just need to do things in between also a bit better.

It’s football. If you score in the last few seconds or minutes, that is an unbelievable feeling, so it goes both ways. Today, unfortunately, it was the other way. It’s tough, but you learn from it.

If we focus on what we can control and do in our favour and focus on the next game, we’ll be better, I think.

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