After Arsenal's comeback victory over Leeds United, Arteta spoke to the British media about the team's condition after the international break, the impact of the previous loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, the role of substitute players, and the flow of the match.

Reporter: Mikel, how are you feeling after the game? A bit of relief? It was a great comeback, and Leeds certainly made it difficult for you today.

Arteta: Yes, we knew things were going to be difficult. After a three-week international break, with 16 players away on national team duty, plus the feeling of that defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion still lingering, we had something to prove, and we had to show what we're made of.

And we were facing a very difficult team to beat. We were 1-0 down in the second half, and it was a 12:30 kickoff, and you know the energy that creates in games. But we overcame all those situations with incredible spirit and quality. The substitutes came on and helped us, and that allowed us to win the game.

Reporter: You mentioned a three-week international break, and it came after that defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. You must have been thinking about that loss. Did it feel like an endless period for you? And how much of an impact did it have on the squad, given that you might not have had some players back until very recently?

Arteta: To be honest, it was about digesting the defeat, because after losing to Brighton & Hove Albion the way we did, having to wait three weeks for the next game felt incredibly long. Then obviously, players went away on international duty. As I said, 16 players were called up, which is a huge number—almost the entire squad was gone. But by Thursday, we had to quickly refocus because we knew exactly what kind of challenge we would face against Leeds United.

Reporter: When you can bring on a player of Guimaraes's quality from the bench and he scores the winning goal, you know you've got a very good squad.

Arteta: Yes, but that only happens when the players on the bench understand their role for the day and are ready to come on and impact the game as he did. That's the best possible response.

Reporter: He's just been to Australia and India, so I imagine he was able to accept starting on the bench today.

Arteta: I don't know, because every one of them wants to play. When you name the starting eleven, you can see it in everyone's faces; they all want to come back in, they all want to play for the club, which is great. Especially because, as I said, after that defeat, we still felt we had something to prove, and we certainly did today.

Reporter: Did it take a while to really get going today? Perhaps after the equalizer. Leeds United made it very difficult for you in the first 65 minutes, and they also took the lead. That was a test for the team, wasn't it? Things weren't looking good at that point.

Arteta: I thought our start was actually very good. We got into some very dangerous areas and had a lot of open attacking opportunities, including 3-on-3 situations where we could drive towards goal with teammates making runs, but we didn't convert those situations into enough chances.

So the feeling was, we got into those positions, but we didn't really punish them. And Leeds United is a team that's very good at attacking. Every time the ball goes wide, or they get a set piece or a chance to restart an attack, they have the ability to score, and that's what they've been doing. That's why they were unbeaten before today, so you have to give them a lot of credit.

Reporter: Did you feel the momentum shift after Calafiori scored the equalizer? Did you feel the game starting to turn in your favour?

Arteta: You just know it by the feeling. The energy in the stadium, the atmosphere, and everybody's body language—it all changed immediately. That's why we play at home. When we have that kind of atmosphere, it's a completely different story.

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