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Another Mikel Arteta's Presser, they're
coming thick and fast every few days there's
another one but this time i'm doing it from tropical
settings so if you hear any weird things in the
background it's because i'm doing it in the middle
of a forest oh yeah mikhail arteta's pre brentford
press conference We're back in action for a third
consecutive London derby in the Premier League.
And before we take on Brentford, Mikel Arteta
has been speaking to the media at his latest
press conference. Mikel has given an update on
the fitness of the squad, the difficulty of facing
Brentford and much more at the Sober Realty Training
Centre. on the latest injury news i'm not going
to be able to help you much today because we
have another training session later on oh yeah
until that happens we won't know what's going
to happen with a few of the doubts that we have
okay i mean broken clock again another training
session which will be after the press conference
which will be too late for us to find out any
updates and as i always say I wouldn't have it
any other way. You won't want the opponent to
know what we're doing, what our situation with
our touch -and -go players. But it'll be interesting
to see if the players that are close to returning
fully, people like Kai Havertz, people like Jay
Zeus in terms of getting on the pitch, will feature
in these next two games as we have two games
in the coming three days. On the latest on William
Saliba, he had a little niggle. So I think it's
going to be a matter of days. So let's see if
he's able to be there today. Interesting. Well,
Saliba, in essence, will be ready to play on
Saturday based on what he said. However, he could
play tonight. That's what I'm taking from that.
On the latest on Leandro Trossard, matter of
days as well. Same thing. Leandro Trossard may
well play today, may well be in the squad. But
it looks like he'll be ready to play on Saturday.
On the latest on Kai Havertz, matter of weeks.
Let's see how it involves in the next few weeks.
He's doing really well. He's doing stuff on the
pitch. But I think he needs some time. Okay,
so with regards to Havertz, we're probably looking
at in and around the Carabao Cup quarterfinal,
which will be on the 23rd of December. So probably...
Two, three weeks, but it should be this month,
which is sounding good. On the latest on Gabriel
Magalhaes, Big Gabby is doing very well as well,
but that's weeks as well. OK, so potentially
at some point in this month, based on what the
manager said. On facing Brentford, that's an
opportunity tonight at 7 .30pm. Everybody. 7
.30pm kick -off to be at the Emirates, bouncing
and putting energy to win the game. That's the
opportunity that we have tonight. 7 .30pm like
animals. Everybody at the Emirates to go again
and beat Brentford. It's vital. Massive. Well,
that is one hell of a rallying cry from Mikel,
especially given the fact that Man City are now
situated just two points behind us. If we can
win, the gap will be reinstated to five points.
And we play before Man City on Saturday in our
lunchtime kickoff against Aston Villa, which
will be a tough game. However, if we can win
our next two games, we will extend our lead over
second place Man City to eight points. and pass
the baton over to the citizens. On the motivation
for us, our motivation comes from preparation
and how we prepare for every game to try to be
better than the opposition. Where we are in the
league and what we are doing, I don't think we
need any more motivation than that. I mean, yeah,
especially Man City won yesterday, like I mentioned
already. puts an added degree of pressure on
us to kind of get the three points. However,
I don't think we're relenting in what we're looking
for. It's obvious what our goal is, which is
to win the league. So to win the league, you
need to be consistent, incredibly consistent.
And obviously we had a setback on the weekend,
albeit being a draw. But I think it's essential
that we get back to winning the waves tonight.
On resting players. We tried to manage every
case, every individual in relation to how they
feel in the context of matches. Adjust with only
the purpose of having the best options and the
best pitch and to be better than the opponent.
That's it. Okay, that was a bit of, with respect,
that's a bit of convoluted waffle from our manager.
But essentially... You do need to rotate. I think
what I would say is make two or three changes
in these games coming up. Because I think the
two or three changes we make will be of equally
adept ability. And then obviously when we have
Club Brugge next week, Wednesday, I think we
should ring in the changes. I think make wholesale
changes in that one. Because I think wholesale
changes... could still result in a win, should
still result in a win. But if not, we've built
ourselves enough of a buffer in the Champions
League to be in a good position to still qualify
in the top eight and most, hopefully, the top
two. On whether there will be an opportunity
for Ben White, there is an opportunity for everybody,
as I said. Ooh, that's a bit spiky from the manager.
He doesn't want to single out anyone. But it'll
be interesting to see if Ben White actually starts
any of these upcoming games. I mean, two obvious
ones which I think he'll start are the Champions
League game against Club Brugge and the quarterfinal
against Crystal Palace. I think those games,
he has to be a shoo -in to start. However, the
Premier League games will be interesting because
Drew and Timber has been our best player. And
he has a case for being our best player. That's
how good he is. On facing the physical challenge,
well, that physicality comes from different areas
in relation to the pitch. But I think every game
that we play, when you look at the intensity
in the Premier League against any opponent, what
is needed is incredible. Brentford bring different
threats, different challenges, as we all know.
And you need to dominate that if you want to
win the game. Exactly, because essentially, the
ball will be in the air. The ball will be in
the air for a lot of the game. There's going
to be long balls getting thrown, toe -punted
to Igor Thiago, the big brute of a number nine
that Brentford have. Long throws will be tossed
in. So we know what we're up against. Are we
physically able to? Contend against the physical
Bruce. That is Brentford. Keith Andrews Brentford.
The bumblebees are willing to sting us. On whether
we are seeing more time wasting. The game evolves.
The rules evolve. And that's going to be constant.
And you look in the Premier League now. How many
minutes that we are playing. The actual effective
time that we are playing, the effective time
that we played on Sunday, there are a lot of
things to look at and evolve. So goalkeepers
going down is an example, but there are many
others that constantly evolve. The game and the
rules have to be evolving because everybody tries
to take an edge. And it's rich coming from Mikel
because if anyone tries to take an edge in every
situation, every eventuality, try and kind of
gain, you know, the fine margins, it's definitely
Mikel. So things like Timber taking a nage to
take a throw in, things like the corner kick
situation, things like being able to adapt to
every eventuality in a match, Mikel's well catered
for that and obviously trains for it. Even time
-wasting, you know, like I mentioned already,
Timber takes an age to take a throw in. The amount
of yellow cards that he's been churning, he's
received just for time -wasting, probably in
double figures. I won't be surprised over the
course of two seasons. On understanding the frustration,
yes, especially when you are on the other side.
Okay. On whether Declan Rice exceeded expectations
after signing. I think he's very close to what
we believe that he could bring to the club, to
the team and to the way that he could grow personally
as well. I think he fully deserves it. I think
he's been incredibly consistent throughout the
last two years, last season again, in big matches,
in big moments. He's stepping up, which is a
massive thing. You want to fulfil that role at
a big club and I'm delighted that he got it.
I mean, congratulations to Declan Rice for winning
the FSA award. I've no idea what it is, but I'll
look into it. I mean, I always wax lyrical about
Declan Rice. I strongly believe he's the best
midfielder in the world. Now, I'm within no doubt
that he is. I felt that last season, but he's
been exceptional, and I still think he's got
levels to go, which is really scary. He's definitely
going to become a club legend, I'm sure of it.
On whether he expected Mikel Marino could become
a striker like this. Okay, the key phrase being
like this is interesting. As a striker, certainly
not. But that's the thing as well. That you learn
when you sign a player. I knew that he could
offer much more than what he had. And especially
after I met him for the first time. Because a
player that has... the amount of curiosity and
the amount of questions that he's asked how willing
he is to learn constantly the way he loves his
profession and football it's difficult to put
limits to that because when somebody wants to
grow every single day is that determined is that
hungry to win and evolve and be part of something
that's very powerful and Mikel certainly has
that okay interesting I mean When we had a striker
shortage at the end of last season, I did think
of all the players that we had, he would probably
be the most likely to deputise there when Kai
Havertz went down. And obviously, Jay Zeus was
already down. And obviously, I wouldn't have
expected or envisaged he would have done so well.
But his attributes, his best attributes are his
close control, his technique. But obviously,
clearly now we're learning his finishing, his
accuracy, his efficiency is also up there. And
I think he's just gone on leaps and bounds and
taken it into his Spain form, even though he
plays slightly deeper for Spain. He hasn't looked
back since, I'd say, February when he came in.
on why he signed Christian Norgard. What I saw
on the pitch and then everything that I heard
about him as a leader and the role that he can
fulfil and the role that he was going to have
here, the moment I picked up the phone and spoke
to him, he was super excited to join us. He brings
something that we don't have in a squad and I'm
very happy to have him. Yeah, Christian Norgard
brings us a lot of experience, leadership, strength,
professionalism, things that are underrated in
football. And obviously, he used to captain Brentford.
Now he's at Arsenal as a squad player, coming
in, seeing out games, playing in the Carabao
Cup. You know, obviously, he's Martin Zubimendi's
deputy. So he's understood that he would have
a backup rower at the club. But I think when
he has come in, he hasn't put a foot wrong, you
know. He'll come in as and when needed. And I'm
sure he'll be hoping to get onto the pitch later
on. On David Raya. An amazing goalkeeper. It's
a great story as well and how it happened. We
tried to sign David much earlier. It was as soon
as I arrived, almost, and he had to wait another
two years. The start that he had and the journey
that we had together has been phenomenal for
us and I'm very happy to have him. Well, for
me, David Ryer is amongst the top five goalkeepers
in the world. He is... firmly amongst Arsenal's
top five keepers that I've ever seen. And essentially,
I think he's actually in the top three alongside
Leymann, Seaman. I think where he ranks in that
three will be determined of how successful Arsenal
are. But he has big potential to be very, very
high. And you could say he already is high at
number three. On whether he has been the best
signing he's made, it's a very difficult answer.
It's a very difficult question to answer, but
he's certainly one that is taking us to a different
level. He's certainly a player that has brought
something to our way of playing. That's a good
question. That is actually a good question. Who
is Mikel Arteta's best signing? I mean, a short
list, a quick short list of Gabriel, Odegaard,
Declan Rice, Timber. is already a conundrum in
itself. But then I've probably missed out a load
of players, but that was just the top of my head.
But value for money, you're probably saying Gabriel,
just the fact that we bought him for relatively
cheap. And if we were to sell him now, we're
talking about 100 million plus. So in that sense,
you'd probably say Gabriel. But there's arguments
for many more players. on whether we will see
goals from open play. I don't know a team in
the Premier League that doesn't like to score
from set -pieces. We just conceded a goal against
Chelsea on a set -piece. They had seven corners,
we had eight. I think we should all be set -piece
teams because we all score and concede from set
-pieces, unfortunately. Okay, Mikel really didn't
like that question. Just based on the way he
answered that, he's essentially saying, you guys
always talk about us, you know, scoring set pieces.
You make a lot out of it. But then the team that
we played scored against us from a set piece.
And you don't hear nothing. Which is true. But
you know the game, Mikel. On whether the supporters
could be any more positive towards the team.
You can always be more positive, especially when
you play a different type of game. That's where
you have to lift the standards. The team, the
fans and ourselves as well. With the way we're
going to play tomorrow, to lift everybody and
make sure that we produce the same energy, atmosphere
and positivity around the place. Yeah, I mean,
especially because our last two games were unbelievable,
you know, even pre -match. You see the stadium,
the fireworks, the TIFOs, the way the team played,
the magnitude of the games that we played and
won. We're big. But obviously now we don't want
it to drop. We want to keep the standards high.
The fans need to get behind the team. It might
be a tricky game. It might be level after half
an hour. We might go 1 -0 down. But the key thing
is the players and the fans need to all be in
tandem. So we can create an energy and transmit
the energy, as the manager always likes to say,
into producing a performance that will enable
us to win the game. On last season, preparing
him for this season. Yes, because this season
has been the worst in some areas, especially
in the front line. And now what's happening with
the back line? But we learned and we were able
to put together a squad that is much more reliable
and has more options. We learned from the past
as well that we have to use players in different
positions and they have to be able to fulfill
different roles if we want to compete at this
level. And the example of Mikel Marino that I
was expressing before is the best one probably.
Yeah, because Mikel Marino, you can make a case
for saying that as a centre forward, that's probably
his best decision, best position. Well, for Arsenal,
certainly, but for Spain, obviously. They require
different characteristics from him in that sense.
On Kai Havertz suffering a setback. He was doing
everything. He could not go to the next level
and now it is looking like we have unlocked that.
We're all desperate to have him. It's a player
that personally I love so much for what he brings
to the team. His character, his personality.
I see him suffer being outside. His playing record
is phenomenal. He's always been available and
I can't wait to have him back around the team
playing now because I think it's going to be
a massive boost for the team. It'll be good to
see Kai Havertz and Victor Jokeres go and hang
a tongue at it to see who starts. I think it
will bring the best out of both to have two strikers
that are fighting for one spot. But I do think
both players can actually have a role whether
they share it or not. It's to Arsenal's benefit
either way. On Declan Rice being a lighthouse,
that's the way I perceived him, that he could
potentially be in a lighthouse and now he's become
a lighthouse, which is very difficult to do at
a big club like Arsenal, but he fully deserves
that. He's done it with every step of the way.
First of all, behaving, acting and with performances
and an attitude that are at the highest level.
He's one that I'm sure, myself for sure, the
club for sure, we're going to have him here for
many years. Well, I've been hearing that he's
on the cusp of signing a new contract. So hopefully
he can sign a new contract because he's in the
form of his life right now and it looks like
he's gone on to another level. But like I said
earlier on, I still think he can get better,
which is scary. On what he learned from a big
week. Well, starting from Spurs, I learned a
lot as well about the international break again
and what happened. For example, what happened
with Gabi and how can we correct that so that
it never happens again. And we played a team
game in a way that, again, we have to learn on
watching them. You always learn from it. Bayern
Munich brought different qualities, players that
you don't see weekly. But we needed the potential
of it and obviously what they were doing. And
we took a lot from them. Then last week, the
same amount of games that you have to play within
the game. And what happened at Stamford Bridge,
in that sense, it's enormous. Because I think
it's the perception of what happened and actually
what happened and why it happened. So it was
a huge learning. Okay, that was a bit confusing.
That was a bit, you know. What I do get from
that, what I take from that is the fact that
Gabriel getting injured from his time on international
duty with Brazil against Senegal has enabled
him to now give other players an opportunity
to play. People like Incapier now have stepped
up and they'll get a run of games and they also
now can build up match fitness. Our games against
Bayern Munich and Chelsea, you know, meant that
we had to be at our best to kind of compete to
get what we needed from the game, albeit against
Chelsea. We're probably disappointed that we
didn't take advantage playing against 10 men.
On how he prepares during this busy period, there
is a balance to it, obviously, and depending,
sometimes we play three days after. Sometimes
four days after. Obviously, the schedule brings
a scenario that is free and free, so we are used
to it. We alter the preparation, probably in
the physical part, a little bit more, but rely
much more on principles and what we have to do,
and then tweak what we have to do in relation
to the opponent's strengths and weakness. OK,
but in fairness, Aston Villa, our opponents on
Saturday, did also play on Sunday. They played
today as well and they'll play on Saturday. So
it's exactly the same for them. Brentford did
play Saturday, but I'm presuming they're going
to play Saturday as well. So I think we have
the squad to cope with it. So I don't think we
should really be complaining about that because
we've... set ourselves up to deal with that with
having a strong squad. So that gives us ample
room for rotation without having to worry about
a quality drop. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Sometimes you play against back four or teams
that are very direct and rely or want to take
the game to a restart or a set piece. or against
other teams that are completely different. We
face for a period of time a lot of back fives
and low blocks. Then this block of three games
has been different. So sometimes you are lucky.
So you say, OK, now for this period, this is
going to help us for the next few games. Sometimes
you just have to alter it. Well, to be honest,
I think Mikel answered a completely different
question. When the reporter was asking blocks
of games, I think he meant in a sense that...
We had a block of three tough games against high
-level opponents, whereas you might be coming
up against a block of mid -table sides, and then
you might be coming up against a block of relegation
-threatened sides. However, the way Mikel answered
it was the type of football that they'll play,
the type of tactics we'll be up against. Whether
that's deliberate, your guess is as good as mine.
On William Saliba's injuries being random, well,
the ankle one, It was a really random and a very
unlucky action that kept him out for a few weeks.
He tried at Anfield. He wasn't comfortable. And
he had to stay away. And this one as well. Very
bizarre. But hopefully, it will be a matter of
days. To be honest, if William doesn't play today,
I'll probably be... Prefer that because it means
he will be more ready for Saturday. I don't think
we necessarily need him as much for today than
we do Saturday. And it also gives another opportunity
for Christian Mosquera to get some more game
time and some more experience playing with Piero
and Capio.