Mikel Arteta faced the media after our 1-1 Premier League draw with Brentford.

The boss was asked about the performance, his substitutions, injuries heading to Madrid next week and more.

Here’s a full transcript from the post-match press conference…

On if we had the intensity to get over the line…

Well after the equaliser especially because we play with 10 men a lot. But, even with 10 men, I think we tried and we had two quite clear situations to finish the action better.

I think we have to be critical with ourselves, especially the way we conceded the goal. Against Brentford, you know what they have. You have a free-kick, the goalie is going to put it there. From there, try to get a throw in, from there, they try to get a corner, and then once you clear the ball, it’s a second ball game, and that second ball game, we can’t defend the space close to the taker well enough and then it’s a lottery, because they do that really well and it’s our fault.

On the substitutions being pre-planned…

No, we had an idea because we know certain players that we picked in the starting lineup that they could not be able to finish the game. So we had twice open with that one. We didn’t expect the issue with Thomas, that we have to take him out and then for sure, we didn’t expect what happened with Jorginho and we end up playing with 10 men.

On Declan Rice wanting more goals…

Yes, for sure, every time we you score a goal, after you have the feeling, the next one you can score again. I think had an unbelievable action as well in the goal we scored today, running, carrying the ball and opening space to the right moment to release Thomas and one situation with the keeper, and I think he had a really strong performance.

On if Declan was carrying an injury…

No, he was fine. Yesterday he trained with normality. He wasn’t feeling any pain. That’s why we put him in from the start.

On why the atmosphere was different to the Real Madrid game…

I don’t know but atmosphere was different to Tuesday that’s for sure. I don’t know if this was playing the back of the crowd. For us, as professionals, we know the importance of that, today what we going to do was increase the probability of us really challenging for what we are looking for in the Premier League and with that result, obviously it’s more unlikely to happen.

On if the Real Madrid game was in the players’ minds…

No, I think the players know that when you come to the Premier League and the position that we played today, how tough it was going to be and what it requires and it requires your best every time to win.

On the tackle on Martinelli by Norgaard…

I think my reaction says everything.

On the season being about the Champions League…

We still have six games to play in the Premier League, which are going to be really important, for sure. But, for now, it’s all about Wednesday.

On Thomas Partey’s injury…

He felt something so we didn’t want to take any risks.

On if Thomas will be ok for Wednesday…

I haven’t spoken to the doctors yet, so they will check in now and see how he is.

On Ben White’s fitness…

Again, we don’t know. He could not be in the condition to be in the squad today and be selected. We have a few days, but we’ll have to wait and see.

On Jorginho suffering a rib injury…

It looks it, I don’t exactly know, he had problems breathing. He said he could not carry on.

On Rice’s running power helping open up teams…

It depends on the opposition behaviour. I think the first half we have a few options when we break the press, when they’re more manner orientated and they want to take more risk to, to open those spaces and set some set pieces, it’s exactly the situation because it’s a lot of space to run.

On focusing on Rice’s game…

We can always learn about best midfield, the timing of their arrivals and how they have to score the goals. But I think he can focus on himself.

On not being closer to Liverpool in the Premier League…

Yes it is difficult because obviously there are a lot of reasons why we are with that distance [to Liverpool in the Premier League] and the amount of things that we have to deal with and still we are where we but yeah, we want to be higher, that’s for sure.