FOOTBALL: Premier League: Arsenal news conference (Zinchenko)

Oleksandr Zinchenko claims Arsenal are on the right path for success, but should not copy Manchester City

Transcript

00:00Well, of course, it's disappointing to be out from the competition too soon.

00:06To not qualify from the group stage with four points is a bit...

00:13But still, I think we deserve it.

00:17For us, it was another lesson, I would say, because you cannot start these kind of competitions

00:21with the game we started.

00:24We lost 3-0 against Romania, and then, obviously, to go out from this situation is super-difficult.

00:30Still, I would say, we did good in the last two games, but it's not enough.

00:35It was tough, it was tough, but I already had this experience in the past, losing the

00:41final of the Champions League, so probably that game was one of the most painful in my

00:47life.

00:48And since that game, I would say that I think I became much, much stronger inside, and that's

00:57why I already know how to react in this kind of situation.

01:01Well, it was like our dream, you know, in the past.

01:05We've been working, especially my wife, she's been working super-hard to get it done.

01:11It was just our dream to make something special, like our own, at the place where we feel the

01:18most comfortable, so in Kiev, in Ukraine.

01:23I know it's the toughest time of our independence time as a country, and maybe it's not the

01:31ideal timing as well to do your business, but still, we believe that the war will finish

01:37very soon, and the peace will be there.

01:42I think how much City pushed us during these last two years, it shows how demanding this

01:51league is, and where the level is.

01:54So, you know, I used to say that the Premier League is the toughest league in the world

02:02because obviously every single opponent can beat each other, and every single game is

02:07like a final here.

02:09This is not just words, this is true actually, because even in the beginning of the season,

02:14you can lose some games, you can drop some points, and then you might think, oh, I'll

02:18be back, but these kind of points you can just miss in the last period of the season,

02:24and then you will try to bite your elbows, but the elbows are too far, it's too late,

02:29so that's why it shows how demanding this league is, and that you need to be at your

02:37100th or even more in every single game.

02:41I don't think we need to try to copy someone like, let's say, City.

02:44Of course, they are probably at the moment the best team in the world, because if you

02:49look at the stats and titles they have won for the last couple of years, it's amazing,

02:55so of course you need to always look at the best, and try to be not like them, you need

03:02to try to be on top of them, so Mikel as well with his staff, he's doing an amazing job

03:11here, and of course I've known him for a while, since I've been at City, and I always

03:17knew that he would be an amazing manager, and the development in the club as well inside,

03:26you can see the progress, I don't know how people from outside of the club probably can

03:30see it, but from inside as well, so I think Arsenal are on the right way, and I really

03:38hope and believe that in the closest future Arsenal can achieve a lot of good things.