On Arsenal
Who is your flop of the season?
In the Premier League, Arsenal are my flops of the season!
If you compare last season and the one 2 years ago with this season, their performance has not been good at all
Their performances in the Premier League have not been good enough. I’m sorry, I’m still disappointed in them, regardless of the Champions League. After those high quality and world class performances against Real Madrid, I wanted more from them in the league.
I’m angry about what happened in the league. I’m furious even, because I can’t accept one level of performance in the Champions League and a different level of performance in the Premier League from this group of players.
We all know that it’s difficult to be consistent in the Premier League, but that is what you have to do if you want to become the champions. You have to show up in every game.
I’m disappointed because Arsenal didn’t do that this season and I tipped them to win the title in August. They had a great opportunity to become champions this season, and they let it go without a fight. That’s frustrating and difficult for me to understand. Yes, you can say that they had some injury problems, but I don’t like excuses.
Another season and another failure to win the Premier League under Mikel Arteta. Do you feel the Spaniard is the right man that can deliver domestic success, or after 5 seasons the club should be starting to look elsewhere?
At the moment, everyone at Arsenal is happy because they’ve just knocked out the current champions of Europe, Real Madrid in the Champions League and are in their first semi-final in that competition for the first time in 16 years. However, do you think that the fans would be happy with Mikel Arteta if they weren’t in the Champions League semi-final with how they’ve surrendered their Premier League challenge?
I think that Arteta would be in a lot of trouble if Arsenal didn’t have the possibility of winning the Champions League this season. I think the fans would be very angry with what has happened in the Premier League.
Is he the right man to lead Arsenal to success in the long-term? I can’t answer that question right now, because if Arsenal go on and win the Champions League it will be an unbelievable achievement and a first for the club. It would be stupid to say that Arteta can’t bring them long-term success if he lifts that trophy, so ask me at the end of May. Right now, I have to be very diplomatic. What I will say is simple: if Arsenal don’t win the Champions League this season, after not being able to fight for the title until the very end of the season, then this year has to be considered a massive failure because they still wouldn’t have won any trophies.
How impressed have you been with Wiliam Saliba and would you be concerned that he may have his head turned by Real Madrid if reports are to be believed that they are weighing up a summer move for the Frenchman?
I'm still waiting for William Saliba to step up a little. He always plays well, but he’s just missing something to be world-class.
I challenged him at the beginning of the season to add goals to his game. Five or six goals a season, that's what the very best defenders give to their clubs as well as being warriors at the back. That’s what the very best defenders in the game are capable of.
Would he have his head turned by Real Madrid? When Madrid come knocking, it’s hard for any player, but he’s still young, 24 years old, and he hasn’t lifted a trophy with Arsenal yet. He should think about that first and also about removing the little mistakes from his game before he thinks about Madrid.
He made a sloppy mistake that led to a goal against Crystal Palace and I think he was at fault for the goal that Vinicius scored in Madrid, so I’m still waiting for him to do more.
Of course, I’ll be delighted if he gets his hands on the Champions League.
Do you think Arsenal can beat Paris Saint-Germain over two legs? If so, how?
I don’t expect less than the performances they put on for Real Madrid. They have to repeat the performance, or they won’t make history. Simple. If they play like that, they can take the initiative and grab an advantage.
What does beating Madrid tell you about Arsenal’s mentality this season?
I didn’t think that Arsenal were going to go through against Real Madrid, and I accept I was wrong about that. I will accept whatever Arsenal fans say to me because I was wrong.
What Arsenal did in that game (against Real Madrid), in the Champions League, they were high-level, world-class performers. That's why I'm furious, if I can use that word, with the players. Because what they did against Madrid was world-class.
But if they did it against Madrid, it means they could do that in the Premier League.We know for the Premier League games, you have to be consistent, and that is not easy. That is really difficult. So that's why I'm furious about the players, because if they had that performance in the Premier League, life would be different. They would be champions this season. Right now, everybody is happy. However, nobody knows what is going to happen. The PSG game will be 50-50, because they can play football. It will be very interesting.
Are PSG the best team in the world right now?
Barcelona have looked very strong from the beginning of the season, and they’re in the last four of the Champions League. Barcelona are my favorites to win it, but at this stage of the competition, it's almost 50-50. Anyone can win it.
That’s why Arsenal against PSG will also be 50-50. With PSG, even if they play very well, they’re missing a certain something. When we saw them against Aston Villa in the last match, they were hanging on and it told me that this is still a team that has flaws.
Maybe PSG miss experienced players, but they’re a good team. They're playing great footballand we know it's a different PSG.
They've got rid of the superstars, but they still have some brilliant players. But there's doubts. There's still a little doubt. They're a bit flaky, like when Aston Villa started banging in the goals against them in the last round.I thought to myself, we've seen this before. I thought PSG were different.
So that's why it will be a little bit different with Arsenal, because Arsenal are stronger than Aston Villa. If Arsenal score first, it could be a great night for the Gunners.
Doue, Barcola and Saka - who’s the best?
If you compare Saka with Doue and Barcola, I think Saka is the best.For Doue, this is his first season with the big clubs in the Champions League. Everything is new for him. Barcola is the same, but Saka has already shown what he can do. He’s done it with the national team, so if you’re talking about these three, Saka has the edge.
What is PSG’s biggest threat?
It's not really one player. The team is really dangerous because they are defending very well. They are also attacking very well.
The last game, for example, against Aston Villa, they didn't play well in the second game. Ousmane Dembele was the man of the match, but he was frustrating. He can be the difference-maker on his day.
Do Arsenal need Declan Rice to step up again?
It's not just him on Tuesday - it has to be other players. Declan Rice produced a world-class performance against Real Madrid, and if he can’t repeat it, another player has to take the responsibility and step up with a match-winning performance.
Odegaard, can he do this? At the moment, he looks like he can't go to that level at the moment. The level Declan Rice reached, and Saka - he had a great performance, in the first game, the second game against Madrid. I want to see Odegaard come to the party. He’s been quiet this season, but we know that he has the potential to be a match-winner, a world-class player.
On Tuesday, it will be very interesting to see what is going to happen between Saka and Nuno Mendes, because he can play top-level stuff too. It’s going to be a good challenge for Saka.
Are there doubts about Arteta?
Everybody’s waiting, including fans and journalists. We’re all waiting to see what happens in the Champions League. After we know the result, then people will start to talk. But right now, nobody wants to take that risk to speak. Even right now, I have to be diplomatic. Everybody is waiting to find out what is going to happen. If it doesn't go Arsenal’s way, oh my gosh. Everybody will jump in. But if we speak about the Premier League, it’s been disappointing.
Is Alexander Isak or Viktor Gyokeres a better option for Arsenal this summer?
I don't know. I think it's always the same problem. You can be good in your club, in your league, but when you go to the Premier League, it's different. Nobody can deny that Gyokereshasn’t been one of the hottest strikers in Europe for two seasons now, but he’s been doing it in Portugal. The argument would be that he has scored goals in the Champions League, but there are still doubts about his pedigree in the Premier League.
Isak, at Newcastle, he was not good at the beginning. He was a good player, but he didn't have that performance level that he has right now.You need to know if you can give your players time to adapt. But sometimes you can’t wait, you need a striker who can score right away. That would be my concern about Gyokeres.
I would go for Isak, because he is already proven in the Premier League. He’s already posing problems and already knows how to deal with the opponents.
What was the relationship like between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho?
To be honest, they are completely different. They are two different personalities. I don't know what really happened between them, because I never spoke about this with them. You don’t ask, because the relationship between player and manager, it’s not friendly, it’s one of respect.
In football, if you’re friendly with your manager, and you don’t play well for a couple of matches, they’ll put you on the bench anyway, and they might be more comfortable criticising you in front of others. So that’s why with my managers, I was never too close.
I knew they would fight, but I’d never go to Arsene to speak about it.
Transfer Rumours
Can Victor Osimhen become a star in the Premier League?
I think Victor Osimhen can become a star in the Premier League, he has the right profile. He can stretch play and stretch the backlines. Another attacker can run into the space he makes, and he could be useful for any club in the Premier League. He’s always learning, but at the same time, how long will he need to adapt to a new situation?
We’ve seen foreign players before, it’s often difficult for them in the first season. The second season they step up, so it’s not unusual at all. Even Ronaldo, inhis first season he wasn’t the Ronaldo we know now, but in the second season there were signs.It all depends which club. If Arsenal need results straight away, they need to win the Premier League next year, then they need one player who can do it straight away. They don't have time.
If we talk about Manchester United, from where they are now, they don't need to win the league. They’re looking to be top four or top five, so maybe they can give Osimhen the time he needs.
On Chelsea
A lot has been made of Chelsea's recent problems scoring goals. But what do you make of their defence and goalkeeper? A lot of money has been spent, but how well? What does the back five lack compared to your time at the club?
What do they need to do in the summer transfer window to improve the situation?
Chelsea definitely need to sign one really goodtop class striker. I don’t have any names. There are loads of good strikers we can name, but what is just as important is whether they can fit in the Chelsea system under Enzo Maresca.
You need someone who is a good finisher, because they play with wingers. They can beat men and put in a cross, so you need one, clever striker.
They also need at least one world-class defender. I’ve been saying this for ages now - since Thiago Silva left – Chelsea’s defence won’t improve unless they bring in a player that can be the boss of the defence and run that back four. I really like Levi Colwill, I think he’s got great potential, and one day he can be the boss of the backline, but don’t put too much pressure on the boys shoulders now. If Levi was playing next to a player with experience, he would develop more quickly.
What would constitute success this season?
At the moment, they're in position to get everything they need. If they win the Conference League, they’ll make history, the first team to win every European competition. That’s always great.If they also get into the Champions League next season, for Maresca, that’s a really positive season. The light is green for him to do both. He’ll be under pressure, but it looks like he’ll be able to manage both of those achievements.
What has Maresca done right and wrong this season? How long can he survive if Chelsea don't finish in the top five?
I think he was very intelligent. He didn't change everything straight away, when he arrived. He started with the system he inherited, and he took time to look at it, and changed it over time. Sometimes managers want to rip everything up and change from the start.
He’s got a good relationship with the players, and he’s able to manage Reece James well. He’s the captain, but sometimes he’s on the bench to protect him as he recovers from injury. They have to keep him healthy, and I think that’s why Maresca is being very clever with him.
The Blues face Liverpool on Sunday and are 20 or so points behind them in the table, what do they need to bridge the gap?
They have to close the gap. They have to win against Liverpool, because they need to get into the Champions League spot. Moreover, they need a good performance against Liverpool, so players see that Chelsea are looking strong for the next campaign. Put ina good performance now, and they’ll stick in the memories of Liverpool players for next year, and make it clear they won’t make it easy. That’s how they close the gap. Even if Liverpool are champions already, Chelsea have to be on it.
A lot has been made of Chelsea's recent problems scoring goals. But what do you make of their defence and goalkeeper? A lot of money has been spent, but how well?
I’m not sure I want to speak about the goalkeeper, because goalkeepers need stability in front of them. There have been too many changes to the back four over the last couple of seasons, it’s not settled, and the defenders keep making mistakes.
When you have young defenders in central defence, you will always get inconsistent performances. You can’t have two youngsters as your CB partnership and expect to be solid in the Premier League.
You need an experienced player to lead,it’s always been like that. When they didn’t replace Thiago Silva, I didn’t understand it - that’s why Chelsea are conceding so many goals.
The Chelsea defenders have a hard time, It’s very disappointing.
What does the back five lack compared to your time at the club?
In 2005, I was about 28, John Terry 24, Ricardo Carvalho was 27, and Paulo Ferreira was 27. We all had experience, we all played with our national team, and me and John had played together for three years already. Carvalho and Ferreira knew each other for ages and they had just won the Champions League with Porto before joining. They came and we played four at the back.
In Mourinho, we had a manager who put pressure on us, and we performed because nobody wanted to be on the bench.
It’s completely different at Chelsea now, they’re often on the bench, and they’re so young. That’s why they make mistakes.
Has Chelsea's transfer policy worked? The likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Wesley Fofana and Enzo Fernández for example do not seem to have come close to delivering value on their transfer fees - who do you think has been a big success for the club under the new owners other than the brilliant Cole Palmer?
I like Enzo Fernandez. Mudryk has disappointed and is suspended now, Fofana has been injured. Fernandez has scored goals as well, and Maresca has found the right system for him, he’smore free now, he’s able to worry less about defending, and he’s improved. He still helps out, but he focuses on getting forward, and he’s scored goals.
Next year, I think he’ll be on another level, hopefully along with Cole Palmer again. Enzo has stepped up a bit this season whereas Palmer has been quiet since the new year.
You can say a lot of things about Chelsea’s signings, some players have certainly flattered to deceive, but I have faith that Enzo will come good.
Without Champions League football and winning the Europa Conference trophy do you expect Maresca to be replaced?
I have confidence in him. Right now, it’s his first season, and Cole Palmer is off the boil. He’s not the player he was last season. You need a player who can lift the squad, and right now he’s in a lull. Some of the other players have been sleeping on the job, and for Maresca, he knows what and who he needs to change for next year.
If he can go out and sign one world-class striker and one world-class central defender, then I expect Chelsea to be challenging next season.
I’m confident that Maresca is the right man for the job and I hope he continues next season.
On Tottenham
What did you make of Tottenham’s performance at Liverpool?
TheTottenham players, what they are thinking right now? Because now they know they are safe in the Premier League. Their position is what, 16th? It's very crazy. It's shocking. It's very disrespectful to the fans. It’s not good enough.
They will stay in the Premier League, that’s what they are thinking right now. They are thinking only about that semi-final they have to play in the Europa League.Nobody knows if they're going to win the competition because Manchester United is still there or they will play Bilbao, who are a strong team.
So, it's the same thing as Arsenal in many respects. If they win the Europa League, OK, everybody will clap. But we don't know if you will manage it.But if they don't, I'm sorry. I think the manager is going to be sacked. Some players, they don't know how to defend, they are not defending, they are not giving 100%.
Against Liverpool, Kulusevski, he lost the ball and then, he doesn't sprint to try to come back, and then they concede the goal.
All of them are thinking about the semi-final. They don’t care about winning games in the Premier League anymore. That’s unacceptable.
Do you now think it is inevitable that Ange Postecoglou will leave Spurs this summer?
It’s interesting. Even if he wins the Europa League,, he might still decide to leave. If he left, he’d be leaving them in a good position. He might even get an offer from another English club after that achievement. If he stays at Spurs, even after winning the Europa, he could be sacked at any time. With Daniel Levy, if things go wrong in the league again, you never know.
For the manager, he knows that if he loseshe’ll be sacked, so he has to win. I think that’s why he’s putting everything into the Europa League. They could win it, but don’t forget in the other semi-final is Manchester United and Athletic Club, they’re not bad sides. Bilbao is a good team.
If Spurs were to get KO’d by Norwegian minnows Bodo Glimt, would that be the height of spursiness?
Right now, we all know that Tottenham are the favourites, but we also know that any team that gets to the semi-finals, we know they must be strong. They are compact. They play well together. Tottenham will have to be careful.
Normally you’d expect them to go through, and to qualify for the final. If it doesn’t happen, it would be a crisis. Daniel Levy would go mad. If you look at how they approached Eintracht Frankfurt, they knew it was 50-50, a tough match-up, maybe they were even the underdogs.
Bodo-Glimt, what they've done for a team from the Norwegian League, it'sabsolutely remarkable.
They play good football as well. They've got some good players. I think their first eleven is basically all Norwegians. Yeah, it'll be an interesting game - they have to be respected.
The second leg will be played on artificial grass. Does that kind of thing matter to a player - we always hear about it when teams lose on plastic pitches.
Yeah, because the rebound of the body on the surface is different, it's not the same sensation, same feeling. Sometimes it's not really good for articulation of the legs. You imagine it as different. If you are tackling, you can damage your leg, some blood on your knee. I'm sure it's not a good feeling.
Cristian Romero has come out suggesting a desire to move away from Tottenham, with Atletico mooted to be weighing up a move. Do you think it is disrespectful for a vice captain of the club to speak out before the season has finished and on the eve of the EuropaLeague semi-final?
Maybe it was a mistake by Romero to make those comments. I think It’s a mistake to do that before the end of the season, especially with the Europa League still in play. He could easily have waited, it doesn’t make sense why he wanted to do that. We know how fans and others can leap to conclusions as soon as you say something. So a slight mistake at least, yes.
We all know Romero is a big player – a World Cup winner – but I’ve expected more from him this season. I know that he’s missed a lot of it with injury, but when he’s played, he’s not been at the level we know he can produce.
His performances haven’t been great. It makes me worried that he’s not focused anymore, and that isn’t good enough if you’re supposed to have a leadership role within the team.
I think it look very likely that he will move on in the summer.
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