Hector Bellerin Q&A: Arsenal defender opens up on life at the Gunners

Bellerin has established himself as a key part of Arsene Wenger's defence as Arsenal hunt their first league title in over a decade this season

 Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has opened up on life at the Gunners in this extensive Q&A.

From playing video games to winning the FA Cup, the Spaniard's move to north London has been a steep learning experience.
Bellerin has established himself as a key part of Arsene Wenger's defence as Arsenal hunt their first league title in over a decade this season.
The former Barcelona man reveals all on his life in the capital in this revealing interview.

Do you like Call of Duty more than football games?

“Yes. I’ve played it a lot, especially when I first came to England. I came to a new house, new country, didn’t know what to do outside of the training ground and at home.
"I got very, very addicted to the game. A lot of the team used to play the game a lot. Now I don’t have as much spare time as I had before. But it’s nice to just chill for a bit and play a bit of Call of Duty."

How do you look back upon 2015, it’s been such a big year for you?

Shaun Botterill

“It’s been a great year for me. Overall, at the beginning of the year, I just started playing and didn’t know if it was going to be of a few games just because of the injuries.
"Then winning the FA Cup, this year starting the campaign really well, getting through the next stage of the Champions League, doing well in the cup as well.
"There’s not much more you can ask for. Getting the trust from the boss as well. It’s been great for me. The stuff outside football has really worked out as well. It’s been a great year and definitely one to remember."

For any young player, it’s all about opportunity isn’t it? How important has the manager’s support been in that?

 

“It’s a bit tricky, been a bit hard, as players we only get opportunities when players get injured and you never want to see anyone get injured.
"It’s hard to get the position in the team when everyone is available and it’s hard, especially when you’re young and at a big club like Arsenal where there’s players of such quality in every position.
"It’s a hard thing but when you get your opportunity you have to make the most of it and it’s nice that the boss, when he needs new players, doesn’t just look in the market, he looks at what he’s got in the under-21s, the under-18s and makes them players who can play in the Premier League."

Is that why young players sign for Arsenal?

Shaun Botterill

“It’s definitely a boost. Every young layers wants to make it and the fact that you have a coach who gives you every opportunity. That’s definitely something that will attract you.
"Who wants to go to a team that doesn’t play players when they are young? You can’t see yourself playing for that team. It’s not just any club, it’s Arsenal as well.
"One of the best clubs in England, massive club, you don’t realise how big it is until you are really part of it. It’s great. I had the chance to come here. I’ve had the chance to get game time as well."

Was the FA Cup the highlight of the year for you?

Michael Regan - The FA

“Yes, definitely. It was a great year. But, for me, to be 20 years old, to get my first trophy and then getting the Community Shield afterwards, that was definitely the highlight.
"I probably had the best holiday of my life in that summer because just before that we won the FA Cup, you could go home with a clear mind and knowing that you had done everything you could.
"It was a great way to finish. An amazing season for me on a personal level and as a team. We managed it.
"In the last few years, maybe the team wasn’t really performing, sometimes in big games against big clubs, there was a lot of people not trusting us when we played big games.
"But we showed that we’re Arsenal, we don’t care who we play, we can get a result against anyone, no matter who we play.
"We showed it again this year against Bayern Munich, there’s a lot of performances that have shown that we’ve got a top team.
"That’s what Arsenal has been looking for in a while so I’m very happy to be part of the team, to have such a great dressing room and to share it with so many stars."

Has this been a more difficult season for you? This feels like your second season, so has that been hard?

 

“Not difficult, the Premier League is difficult, but I don’t think it’s been as hard as last year.
"A lot of people talk about that second season thing, a lot of people know how you play, know what you do, but at the same time you have more games in the bag, you are more confident that you can play at the level, but when you start you have some doubt whether you are good enough to play in the Premier League.
"I mean, for me, I’m really, really enjoying it.
"We’re having some very good performances, playing some great games and even with the injuries the team has responded well and now we’ve got some injuries coming back that will be a big boost for the team as well."

You’ve had injuries as well, is it nice to be back to full fitness and your best form?

“Yes, there hasn’t been big injuries, it’s just been frustrating to lose a couple of games when you’re in good form, feeling well and getting good results.
"These things happen in football, I can’t complain, there are a lot of people who are out for a few months and for long periods of time.
"When you are back, you want to get back to where you were and make sure you are back at your best. It can sometimes take a few games to get back to your best level."

Southampton - what happened to Boxing Day. Can you explain it?

 

“It’s true what you say. You are playing every week, playing top teams and it’s going to be difficult, won’t say impossible but very hard week in and week out, more than once a week - especially two or three times in a week at Christmas - to be at your top, top level.
"That game, we didn’t perform the way we should, they performed really well, credit to them, it’s not all about blaming us, it was a are game and we know on Tuesday it will be another hard game as well."

Need to respond after Chelsea defeat?

“Definitely and that’s something our team does really well, every time there’s a defeat or a result that we didn’t want to have the team always responds straight away in the next game.
"That shows the team’s character and is really important. It’s normal for big teams to lose games, especially in the Premier League when you have such quality in every single.
"It’s not just about how many times you fall down, but how quick you get up and our team does it really, really quickly and I’m sure we can do it against Southampton."

The Man United game earlier in the season seemed to be a big response in that regard?

VIEW GALLERY

“I think that games proved the point. After not getting a good result in the Champions League, playing at home in a big game against Manchester United, in front of a big crowd, to produce one of the best 20 or 30 minute spells that any team has had this year.
"When the team is in sync, there’s no better team than us in the Premer League. I think we just need to find that balance in some games when it’s sometimes it’s lacking, sometimes it;s hard with injuries, people coming back, people on the bench.
"Obviously you need to adapt to the tempo, to the players and things like that. But we are in a good position compared to where we were last year and you saw where we ended up last year.
"We played really, really good football last year, had a great finish and hopefully we can do it this season as well."

Do those performances give you the confidence you can win the title?

“Yes, definitely. Those games against Bayern and things like that, stay in your head and you can say: ‘if we can do it against them, why can’t we do it against every team?’
"For us, we played brilliantly and beat and stopped the top team in the whole world. If we can show that we can stop them, beat them, there’s nothing else left to answer or to do.
"The only thing you need to do is recreate it each week. The whole level has gone up and that means it’s very hard. The smaller teams are not that small anymore, they have top players, they have a lot of options to match the top teams.
"That’s why i think this year that’s why so many top teams have struggled as well. It’s not just us who have struggled in games, but many other big teams and suddenly you have Leicester at the top and that shows you how open it is.
"It shows you cannot relax one little bit."

Have Leicester surprised you?

Chris Brunskill

“If you asked every single player at the beginning of the season then I don’t think they could have told you they’d be top at this time. But that’s credit to them.
"They’re a team full of hard working team players who work hard to get a result every weekend.
"Things are working our for them and now it’s up to them to show that they’re a team who can stay there when a lot of people are thinking they will drop points. They look very strong. But now it’s our job to match them and go above them."

Rivalry with Spurs, they surprised you?

“They are doing really well, Pochettino has been there for a long time, he’s risen to the challenge of building the team around him and of course they are our rivals but if you look at the table you have to see where everyone is.
"It’s not just Leicester, we’ve got Manchester City, Tottenham, we’ve got a lot of clubs up there, everything is really tight at the moment. We can’t relax and have to go for every single game as if it was a final."

You’re still learning full back role, is there a player who you model yourself on?

Stuart MacFarlane

“There's a lot of players who you can pick up some stuff from, not just only full backs or defenders. Even training with the top players every week you can get good things from all of them.
"Nacho Monreal, another full back, Spanish as well, top player, and he’s a player I am close to. He’s one of the players who has helped me the most.
"He is one of the most consistent players in the Premier League, he showed last season he id doing it every week, this season doing it as well. I’m learning a lot from him as well.
"Psychologically as well on the pitch, he’s a very strong player and it’s nice to know that you’ve got a player there, a defender next to you, who will do a great job in every single game and that’s something you need to learn as well."

Barcelona are on the horizon in the Champions League, how much you look forward to that?

Alex Caparros

“Yes, definitely. It’s the team of my childhood, it’s where I started playing football and for me and my family it was great news when the draw was made and we had to face Barcelona."

Did it feel like drawing Barcelona was destiny?

“I mean it could have happened last season and it happened in this one. You always think: ‘what if?’ This year we have the opportunity to go over there and we are really look g forward to the experience. We know they are a top team.
"But as I said before, we are not scared of anyone. We are up for the challenge and you never know how it can turn out. At the end of the day, it’s a great experience.
"It’s great to playbill such a venue, against such good players and even more special with the team mates we have now."

Will you relish it, rather than feel intimidated?

"As a footballer, nothing can intimate you. If you were intimidated, then you might as well stay at home. You have to take on the challenge. It’s an obstacle that we have to go above, that’s the challenge and we have to rise above it."

* Hector Bellerin was speaking at the launch of the new Call of Duty Black Ops III DLC Pack, Awakening, containing 4 new multiplayer maps and the next instalment of zombies. Awakening is available on PS4 now