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Once again, we are back again for Mikel Arteta's
press conference. Tune in for every word from
Arteta's pre -Manchester City presser. Mikel
Arteta's pre -Manchester City press conference.
Arteta has been speaking to the press at the
Sober Realty Centre ahead of our contest against
Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium this
Sunday. The boss answered questions on the fitness
of our players, our opponents and much more.
Right, here goes. On if we're in a good place,
yes. We've had two very important wins. Very
good feeling about the games as well. And we're
preparing for a big match on Sunday. So obviously
Mikel Arteta is referring to our two victories
in recent days against Nottingham Forest and
Athletic Club respectively, where we managed
to notch five goals unanswered. So we're on a
roll. We've hit back well after that Liverpool
result. Looking good players on form. A lot of
competition for places and yeah, willing and
raring to go against arch rivals Manchester City.
And if there's a chance, Ben White, Bakayo Saka
and Martin Odegaard may be fit. If there is a
chance, it will be after tomorrow's session because
they haven't done anything yet. So we'll have
more information tomorrow. Yeah, Mikel loves
doing that where obviously, Invariably, the press
conferences are on a Friday, and that's always
before the last training session before a match.
So, in other words, he probably has an idea on
inkling whether they're going to be fit, but
he's not going to give the opponent an inkling.
Right. On if Mikel Moreno and Victor Jokeres
are okay after head injuries in midweek. Yes.
They'll be fine. Okay. Nothing more to add to
that. On if William Saliba will come back into
the starting lineup. Let's see. Obviously, he's
been carrying an injury. He's done really well
to be available for the last match, and he's
really pushing it. So we will decide tomorrow
who is the best to start. Yeah, this is an interesting
one. Obviously, you've got Christian Mosquera,
who's come in, done really well. In preseason,
I saw him firsthand. He looked amazing. Once
again, I reiterate, I think he reminds me of
a young Antonio Rudiger. Very aggressive, very
athletic, very strong, you know. Does tell as
well with Gabriel, young player. But what I think
will happen is Saliba will come straight back
in, slot alongside his compadre, Gabriel Magales,
against, obviously, their arch -nemesis, Erling
Haaland, or Haaland. And then what I think will
happen is Mosquera will come back for Port Vale.
On whether our boardroom changes will impact
him, no. There have been quite a lot of changes
since I arrived at the club. First of all, obviously
Tim Lewis is leaving and I would like to say
a few words because he's been someone that I've...
really enjoyed working with. I think he has made
a tremendous contribution to everything we've
done over the last few years. Then on Richard
Garlick, congratulations. It's a massive role
to be the CEO of this football club. And then
welcome to the new members of the board. Hopefully
they're going to make us better and help us with
ideas and support for this club. It's ultimately
Stan and Joss's decision. They've been incredibly
supportive. So we move on again. I mean, I don't
want to dwell too much on boardroom changes and,
you know, upgrades and whatnot. But what I will
say is there seems to be a kind of changing of
the guard in terms of the boardroom. Obviously,
Edu's recently left. Andrea Berta's come in,
done magnificently in bringing in eight top class
players, which has contributed in us having...
a supremely, fiercely competitive squad right
now. And I think that is the reason we won our
last two games of consummate ease. One thing
I will say, though, is I don't know too much
about Tim Lewis. I'm not going to pretend I do,
or Richard Garlick. But yeah, we'll move on from
that. On how significant this match is in terms
of... the title race. It's about winning again
and creating another good moment for us. The
consistency competing against one of the best
teams in the world and a good test for us to
see our level. Well, what I will say about this
game is I feel like this is the first time in
probably a decade or so where we go into a game
against Manchester City as overwhelming favourites,
and rightly so. I feel like we're a level above
them right now. They're in a kind of transition
period, but that's not to say they can't turn
up and win that game. We've got to be at our
best, and I feel if we are at our best, we will
win. I expect us to win 99 % to 100 % of games
if we're at our best. But Man City will be a
good test of our... You know, they will test
us for sure. But, yeah, it's just about us, really.
It's just about us. I think if we can get our
players playing at their optimum level, I should
expect to win that game. But it should be a really
competitive, intriguing matchup between us. On
Pep Guardiola, the demands that he has put...
first and himself the standards that he requires
from everybody around him his will to win to
evolve to improve you look around him always
he wants to learn about the best people for me
he's the best coach in the world i've said it
I had the pleasure to work with him and win a
lot with him next to him. It's always great to
see him back. Well, I mean, with Pep and Guardiola,
it's a really awkward one because obviously these
two are close, close mates. I mean, close in
a sense that they text most days, if not every
day. So when they're coming up against each other,
it's a bit like you're coming up against one
of your family members or your brother or something.
But yeah, they're both really competitive. I
think Arteta's got that inner drive in him to
kind of supersede and overcome his quote -unquote
big brother. And now I think Arteta's confident
that he's got Pep's number. Obviously, in the
last few years, that's proven to be the case.
I was sure that he was a player with a talent
and quality that we didn't have in the squad.
A player with a level of threat and great ability
that was going to make us better. The moment
I picked up the phone, I spoke to him, his dad
and his agent. And the three of them gave me
the impression that they were really willing
to come. And they saw something special here
that they wanted to be a part of. Then you have
to come here and slowly they start to get to
know him and he starts to get to understand the
team. I think so far the impact he's had on the
team is very, very positive. Yeah, I mean, I
tend to speak about Nani a lot. I did say from
pre -season, before he actually put on an Arsenal
shirt, that he was a player with the qualities
we need. And obviously Arteta has literally said
that. And what he's referring to is his directness,
his skill, his ability to twist up a wing, a
fullback, you know, tie a fullback in knots.
That is an uncanny characteristic to have. And
he is... Probably, arguably, probably not even
arguably, the best 1v1 winger in terms of beating
the full -back in the league. I remember a quote
from Noni referring to him and Cole Palmer as,
I'm the fire, he's the cold kind of thing. Because
they played with each other since 15. So obviously
Noni would be the winger, Cole Palmer would be
next to him, behind the forward in a number 10
position. So Noni's kind of, you know, got different
qualities to Cole Palmer, but they kind of dovetailed
really well together. Hopefully Noni can build
that kind of similar rapport with people like
Eze or Odegaard. I don't know how that works
with Saka, but for now, Noni has been amazing.
He's managed to implement his strengths and long
live Noni. Long may it continue. On how Martin
Zubimendi has settled in, it's another one. Coming
from abroad, it's always very tricky, especially
with the demands in this league and in that particular
position because you have so much responsibility
in that role and you have to be aware of everything
that we do. He's such an intelligent boy. He
has a lot of presence, a lot of quality and a
lot of courage to play football. Yeah, Martin
Zubamendi's announced himself at the Premier
League level with two goals last week. But yeah,
all in all, he's had a great start to the season,
his Arsenal career. And I'm sure it helps to
have his Spanish international teammate and good
friend, Mikel Mourinho, right next to him. Also,
to add to that, the composition of that midfield.
has a number of permutations that could be utilised
because you've probably got three from four or
five. Christian Lorgard's, you know, back in
the fray. So it'll be interesting to see if Max
Stalman continues to get onto the bench, which
is a remarkable feat. But yeah, nonetheless.
But it'll be interesting to see if he opts with
Marino now that Declan Rice is fit. Or with the
fact that Odegaard is injured, that might make
Arteta's selection dilemma slightly easier because
he could just go Rice, Zubamendi and Mourinho.
Or he could slot Eze in. So there's a number
of permutations that he could use. The question
is, does Mourinho start? And if the answer is
no, then you can kind of shift things around.
I think that's the key, really. Does Mikel Mourinho?
continue in the starting line -up. I feel, personally,
I think if Odegaard is fit, he may not even play.
He could go Wanyeri, he could bring Eze in, but
personally, no, I think he will stick with Mourinho,
if I'm being real. I think he'll go Rice, Zubimendi,
Mourinho. has been so solid. First of all, he's
very good. I think credit to the scouting department
and Andrea Berta that they presented the opportunity
to have him. Again, as a boy, he's extremely
focused, very determined, very clear that he
wanted to come here and he wanted to come here
and play and earn his place. I think what he's
doing in that position so early is very impressive.
So Arteta has alluded to the fact that Andrea
Bertas played and had a heavy handed role in
bringing in Mosquera. So obviously Bertas was
formerly of... Atletico Madrid, so he would have
known of the player, seen him at close quarters
and had first -hand kind of knowledge of him.
So for him to be brought to the club and to be
excelling so early, so young, props to him. Kudos
to Berta for that. But Mosquera, it'll be interesting
to see how long he... you know, how long it takes
for him to kind of find his way into the first
team on a more regular basis, considering he
can play in two positions, battling with Drury
and Timber and William Saliba. But I think there's
enough games to rotate in and around, especially
for playing twice a week for the foreseeable
future. On Ben White, Bakayo Saka and Martin
Odegaard's fitness, everything has been modified
so far for them. There are still a few things
to clear and tomorrow we'll have more information
on whether they are part of the squad or if they
have a chance to be part of the squad. Interesting,
interesting, interesting. I mean, with Ben White,
our defence is so strong that if he isn't on
the bench, we're not... going to miss him per
se. And that's no slight on Ben White, but it's
just the fact that, like I alluded to already,
the competition and quality is high. We've got
Mosquera really, really staking a claim to start
that game, but I don't think he will. I think
the seniority experience of Saliba would mean
that not yet for Mosquera. However, with Ben
White, yeah, I personally think he will probably
miss out on a squad and play against Port Vale.
Next week, as for Bukayo Saka, the form of Noni
Madaweke means we don't have to rush him back.
So I think with Saka, it's probably bench at
best. And also with that one, I'm going to stick
my neck out and say I don't think Saka will be
in the squad. But potentially, I think he might
be on the bench at Port Vale. Whereas with Martin
Odegaard, I don't think Odegaard starts that
game. The question is whether he'll be on the
bench. And I'm going to go for no on that. These
are all predictions on what type of game he is
expecting on Sunday. There will be moments. It
has been in the past as well, in the last few
years. They have changed quite a bit, especially
in the back line, and they recruited Erling Haaland
as well. We've modified a few things because
of the quality of the midfield, which is normal.
And there is a tendency in football, especially
because of the way teams are defending. But it
has certain implications for how teams react
to them. So obviously Arteta's... alluded to
the fact that Manchester City's defence has changed
a lot. He obviously didn't mention that it's
changed for the worse, but it's clear that Manchester
City have a clear vulnerability in their defence,
especially in counterattacks. However, I don't
think we'll be counterattacking. I think we're
going to take the game to Man City. It's just
a question of whether they reciprocate that game
plan and take the game to us or kind of sit back
and give us respect, considering the fact that
we thumped them 5 -1 last season. But yeah, it's
a game that I expect Arsenal to kind of be confident
in winning, especially given how we've performed
so far this season. We look like we're kind of
getting into our groove a bit. We're conceding.
We've conceded only one goal, which was a worldie
of a free kick all season. Well, it'll be interesting
to see if we can keep a clean sheet on Sunday.
Personally, I think it'll be 3 -1. So, well,
I don't think we'll keep a clean sheet, but I
hope we do. On the impact of subs, you look historically
at the top team, the team that has won a lot,
the impact that the finishers had. has always
been really, really high. You need that quality
nowadays to unlock games and to be consistent
every three days. It's even harder, and that's
what we need. We are very lucky because we have
players who can make an impact. They certainly
did that the other day, and now we need consistency.
So it's interesting that Arteta's referred to
substitutes as finishers, which kind of gives
them more of a... A purpose, you know, gives
them respect, gives them more confidence. So
in terms of finisher, we had a good finish from
Martinelli, which is a double entendre because,
yeah, he was a substitute who finished the game
and he finished well with his strike. So Martinelli's
kind of come back to life now. I'm sure a few
more good... performances from him would bring
him back into the reckoning of actually battling
for a first team spot with the likes of Eze as
well. But Port Vale was there too. But the thing
is, I keep mentioning Port Vale, but the players
that would like or would need to start that game,
there's only 11 spots. People like Myles Lewis
-Skelly, Trossard, Martinetti, Ben White, you
know, Hinkapie. They all need games, even Kepa.
So it'll be interesting. You know, actually,
what is more intriguing is who he starts in that
Port Vale game. I'm sure we got an idea, but
then there'll be one or two that wouldn't have
played in the league much and wouldn't have started
that game. And it'll be like, ooh, the squad
is quite big. Will certain players like not featuring
much, let alone even in a cup competition? Well,
that's a debate and a discussion for another
time. On whether he talks to the subs before
the game, we already had that discussion in pre
-season about the goals and responsibilities.
and about the implications of each goal in relation
to the game, the scenario, the schedule, a lot
of factors. But the quality and the delivery
and the intensity and the will that you have
to put into every minute for this football club,
that's unquestionable whether you're starting
or not. So it sounds like Arteta's kind of sat
down with the squad and said, right, we're going
to have around 60 games. We're going to have
a big squad. We're going to do a lot of rotation.
There's an emphasis on, in certain games, we're
going to need the substitutes to make an impact.
So if you're on the bench, you have an opportunity
to make an impact, to win points. The substitutes
are the ones that make the difference, the difference
makers. So that gives every player in the squad
purpose, motivation and confidence that they
can actually come on, make an impact. gives themselves
a chance of starting the next game or the game
after that. On whether Pep is rebuilding Manchester
City. I don't know. That's a question for him.
But obviously what he's already done in this
league is unprecedented. The level that he's
put into the standard of the league is, in my
opinion, unprecedented. And maintaining those
levels for 10 years is already something incredible.
And the demands are there for him. And he wants
to carry on because he believes that he can do
it again. Unprecedented. Interesting. It's almost
like a slight on Alex Ferguson because Alex Ferguson's
got more league titles than Pep over a longer
period, of course. But, well, Pep's got his work
cut out trying to topple both Liverpool and Arsenal,
let alone Chelsea. So, obviously, it's clear
that Man City are in transition. They've already
lost two games in a league this season. However,
if they can beat Arsenal, then that would...
really, really put them in the race and give
them confidence to kind of get themselves back
on track with a third win in succession after
they beat Napoli in midweek. Or yesterday, should
I say. On trying to go five games unbeaten against
Pep, the preparation for the game will be to
win. That's for sure. To be honest, I don't think
Pep would like the fact that Arteta's gone five
games unbeaten or four games unbeaten against
him. He would be plotting a way to beat Arsenal.
But it's a far cry from the times that we would
lose home and away to Man City consecutively
for about seven, eight years. There was a period
we lost 14, 15, 16 times in a row against Man
City. And I don't think any club in history has
ever done that to us. what we had to overcome
in recent years. On us opening a mental health
drop -in on match days. First of all, very proud
that the club again takes initiative. It takes
a problem, a serious problem that is out there
in our society and gets practical solutions and
to create a safe space as well for our supporters
and be able to raise their hands and say, I need
help and this is the space to do it. I think
this is incredible and hopefully more people
can do the same because there's a big need for
that. I didn't know about this, actually. So
Arsenal are opening a mental health drop -in.
I know about two weeks ago, an Arsenal fan from
the Midlands, I think Wolverhampton, obviously
sadly passed away from mental health. So I reckon
that's probably had something to do with the
club's decision to start this initiative. But
yeah, while I'm here, I want to just use this
moment to... pay my respects and consolances
to Ricky Hatton, who sadly passed away last Sunday.
You know, he was a big... He was, you know...
I was a big fan of his growing up. One fight
of his that stood out to me was his victory against
Costa Zoo, but the one that stood out to me was
the Mayweather fight, classic. You know, he always
got the... He always had a big, big, big following,
like a proper people's man, nice guy, down to
earth, humble. All the comments have said it,
you know, sums it up really what kind of person
he was. So I just want to pay homage to Ricky
Hatton now that we're on this mental health segment
of this interview. On how aware he was that Tim
Lewis would be leaving. I was aware in certain
moments. I had various discussions with Josh
Kwanke especially and with the team. It's not
the first time that it's happened since I've
been here. Again, incredible gratitude towards
Tim, what he's done for the club and what he's
done for the team and myself personally as well.
Everybody's in different phases of their lives
and requires different things. Interesting. The
last sentence of that. It's very interesting.
Everyone's in different phases of their lives
and requires different things. Well, I think
his next destination would be interesting. So
we'll find out what Arteta's alluding to, depending
on where he goes, on what it means for the future.
Wonderful future. That's the only thing that
I can say. I'm so positive about it. And every
time I speak to Stan and Josh and how willing
they are, the projection they have, the vision
they have for the football club, the people that
we have around it, there's no question that big
things ahead. Well, I mean, they said unprecedented
summer before the summer. And boy, did we have
an unprecedented summer. We brought in eight
quality signings. We've started the season. In
a good way, I feel like we're starting to kind
of get into our groove. Well, we can only confirm
that with a win against Man City before we go
to our bogey ground, Newcastle. So I think the
next few games, we'll really kind of see where
we're at. But yeah, for me, we've had a good,
solid start to the season and we're looking poised
to challenge for this league once again. on the
changes at executive level since he's been manager.
It's my first managerial job, so I don't know
if that's a lot. or very little the experience
that i've had what i can say is i've been very
lucky to work with some wonderful people that
i've learned so much from it's sad because we
spend so much time together very important people
that will be part of the football club of my
life as well personally because you get really
attached to them emotionally as well and their
families you have to move on maintain that personal
relationship for sure people have gone on to
do various jobs Some of them have been very successful
in other places and wish them all the best. So,
yeah, I mean, there's a lot of talk about this
board level changes and whatnot, but I don't
really want to go too much into that. or whether
he wants to harness the positive feeling from
Martinelli and Troshard. Yes, it certainly does
because when players are in that state, I think
they have to be used and they have to be recognised.
There's a lot of players in a really good moment
performing really well and that's what we want.
Whenever we need them, I'm sure they'll be at
their best. Yeah, I mean, the type of character
that Leandro Troshard is, he wouldn't be happy
being on the bench, let alone... Coming off the
bench and then scoring and then the next game
being on the bench again because Trossard is
not going to start against Man City. However,
I do think Trossard will start against Port Vale
as the centre forward with Martinelli on the
left wing. And then, so yeah, that just means
that someone's going to be disappointed, like
I mentioned earlier. But yeah, it's good to see
players coming off the bench, proving a point.
All you can do is kind of prove a point with
goals and assists and good performances. On facing
Haaland, there are a lot of things that you have
to get right. He's a player who doesn't need
much space, much time or situations to generate
big chances, especially in and around the box.
Sometimes preventing the source is the best thing
to do and we have to do it again. Well, I mean,
whenever Olin Haaland comes up against us, especially
Gabriel, he's usually well -martialed by Gabriel
Saliba. When Arteta mentions the source, he's
probably talking about the likes of Rodri, Bernardo
Silva, obviously Kevin De Bruyne has left the
club. But the thing is, the best way to stop
the source is for you to have the ball, for us
to be... pressing them to be taking centre of
the ring and to be taking the game to Man City.
So once all those things happen, we don't have
to worry about the source because we have the
ball. On if the current defensive quality is
the benchmark. It's certainly what we're doing
today and what we have to do on Sunday and the
following games. There's still a lot of things
we can improve and we're very aware, but it's
a very big foundation to achieve what we want.
Yeah, I mean, that defence is a strong, strong
defence. We've got Ben White, Timber, Mosquera,
Saliba, Incapier, Gabriel, Luis Skelly and Calafiori
to name but a few. I mean, one player gets injured,
the other will slot in and it helps that. And
a lot of those players can play in two or three
positions, which... shows the versatility and
quality of each player in the squad. On whether
he wants Eze to be a touchline winger, it depends
on the positioning in one space or another. It's
never the same. The space and the difficulty
of the opponent will be different in what we
want and what we want to accomplish with that.
Well, I just want to quickly say, Ebreche Eze
is not a touchline winger. Never has been, never
will be. Hasn't got the pace to do it. but he
has the quality to play on the wing, to come
off the wing, similar to Sami Nasri, what he
used to do, kind of... being in the inside left
position kind of thing, he ain't going to get
chalk on his boots like Martinelli or Madueke
will get. But what he will do is he'll come inside,
link up with the number 10 if he isn't playing
there, link up with the centre forward, get shots
away, be a threat and a thorn in our position
side. I think that's how and where you get the
best out of Eze. on whether it depends on who
the fullback is. Yes, depending on where that
man is defending, especially if it's our left
or right side, maybe the opposite side. If they're
attacking between their lines, especially if
it's higher or deeper, there's quite a lot of
things to consider before we make that decision.
So, yeah, I mean, I still stick with what I said.
Ebreche Eze is not a touchline winger. What you
want is to get him away from the touchline, as
far away from the touchline as possible. So whether
he's dribbling inside, kind of pulling the right
back out of position, that's probably what you
want him to do. And kind of one twos with the
number 10 if he isn't there. Yeah, so on Myles
Lewis Skelly's celebration last season. That
was done. That's it. That's part of it. There
have been a lot of celebrations or non -celebrations
in the past from a lot of teams. The experience
is to learn and grow as well. And we certainly
learned from that. Yeah, I find this subject
with Myles Lewis Skelly, Haaland, their kind
of feud, should I say, interesting because obviously
whenever Lewis Skelly does interviews, I think
there's a clear kind of message. The interviewee
has been briefed not to speak about the holding
situation, clearly, because I've never heard
him being asked about it. But what I will say
is that celebration just told you all you need
to know about the boy's character, and I love
it. I love it. On whether City are contenders
this season, I think so. Without a doubt, knowing
Pep really well. And the demands he puts on his
players, the mentality they have in this football
club, the squad and the players that they have,
I think so for sure. But wait a minute, isn't
this the same Mikel Arteta that said there's
eight teams that could win the league? So if
you're not sure if Man City are one of them,
then who are these eight teams? We know Liverpool
and Arsenal are one of them, or two of them.
So where are the other six teams?