Post-Coventry quotes round-up: Arteta, Lampard, Grimes, Odegaard, Tzolis, Wright & more
Goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard all found the net as Arsenal outclassed Coventry City to start the 2026/27 campaign with a comfortable victory.
On a night when the visitors were kept at arm’s length from goal, the margin of victory should have been bigger. Not that Mikel Arteta will mind as he eases his squad back to full fitness.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos made of the action…
Mikel Arteta assessment of a comfortable win…
Obviously it was a great result, but the manner we started the game, the domination, clarity, understanding and growth in the game was really impressive. It was great because the start is always tricky; we played a team that had a long time to prepare as well, and they are really good at what they do. But again, I was really impressed with the result today.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Frank Lampard on the challenge of playing Arsenal…
It’s a good learning curve for our players. You come here and want to do something, but it’s very difficult. It’s a good experience to live. We hate defeats, but you can lose here, and there is a lot to be done to do what we want to do this season, so we will take the learnings. Every game is not going to look like that. We had seven or eight Premier League debuts. When it’s 2-0, you still feel you are in the game, when it’s 3-0, it’s hard. The boys kept going. They showed good courage as the game went on. They shouldn’t be too down after this because these are the best in the league.
Source: BBC Match of the Day
Coventry captain Matt Grimes on a tough introduction to the Premier League…
Felt like first-half was a little cagey, we could have shown a bit more quality. Second-half we wanted to start well, conceded early, difficult night and when you’re used to winning it’s difficult to lose but playing away at the best team in England, it is what it is. In the Championship, lower levels, you get away with these half-mistakes … slight lapse in concentration and they punish you.
Source: premierleague.com
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Martin Odegaard on the win and performance
The first game is always a bit nervy. They played well, gave us a good fight and a good battle. It was key to get the first goal and controll the game. It was a solid. We looked good. We could have created and scored more. We can be more precise and sharp around the box. It’s a good performance, but we can do even better. The quality in the squad is unbelievable. You can put anyone on the pitch and they can perform at the highest level. We push one another to get better.
Source: Sky Sports
Jamie Carragher on Saka and Odegaard going up a level…
I still think Arsenal lack a world-class player in the front four. About two years ago I thought Saka and Odegaard would make that next step. For whatever reason it’s not happened due to injuries or Arsenal not being at their best. Those two were close to getting to the levels shown by Man City and Liverpool players, like De Bruyne and Haaland or Salah and Mane. They took their teams to the title. Arsenal won the league without them doing it. They did it by having a great defence and goalkeeper. But I still think Saka and Odegaard can get back to where they were a couple of years ago.
Source: Sky Sports
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Arteta on on if the team can relax on the pitch as champions…
They can flow – relax, no – I don’t like ‘relax’! They need to be with the right level of clarity; they know how to do it, they look really connected, and they play with a lot of purpose, which I really like.
Source: Post-game press conference
Martin Odegaard on Christo Tzolis…
Amazing, he played a brilliant game. He has been brilliant all pre-season. He’s so lively, it’s hard to defend him. He’s a really intelligent player, he always looks up and finds the right pass.
Source: BBC Match of the Day
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Christos Tzolis on how he looks to influence games…
I’m always trying to be involved to help my team and to make the right decisions. My teammates make it easier for me when they finish the actions or give the pass to me. Everything connects with each other. Everybody is at a high level and understands each other very quickly. That’s a big difference with a big team. When you’re champions of England, that means you’re at the top level, so everything makes it easier, even for me as a new player, to adapt quickly. Thanks to my teammates, they’re at the highest level.
Source: Arsenal.com
Arteta on signing Ezri Konsa and what he brings to the team…
Depth and quality. Obviously, we were extremely short in the defensive line with the injuries of Wilo and Jurrien. We only have four, sometimes five, players in the defensive line, so it was a huge risk to take so we were trying to recruit. The club has done unbelievably well Andrea [Berta] the same. We have a player that we admire, that we wanted. The boys have done very well seem very, very happy to have him.
Source: Arsenal.com
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Arteta on how long new boy Bruno Guimaraes will be sidelined…
We expect that not to be weeks at all. Let’s see how he evolves this week. He didn’t even want to stop. He wanted to carry on. Now we start to understand the character of the player, but I don’t expect that to be a big issue.
Source: Post-game press conference
Ian Wright on Gabriel Martinelli getting shunned by Arteta…
For him to be nowhere near it, it makes me feel sad for him. I’m just saying I think he’s done enough with this team, with this squad, to be treated with a little bit more respect than he’s being treated at the moment.
Source: Sky Sports (via Metro)
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Gary Neville on Arteta going from apprentice to master…
We’ve looked at Mikel Arteta in the last few years with an element of doubt – can he get over the line? Can he win titles? Can he get past Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp?” said Neville. Now he must feel different with the title under his belt. He’s always been confident but there is an assurity. He becomes a dangerous animal in this Premier League. All the other managers are quite young. Arteta has gone from the apprentice to the master. You can see that in him.
Source: Sky Sports
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