WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.540 Hello and welcome to Hybr1d Powered by chinkseyMEDIA. 00:00:02.540 --> 00:00:05.719 Mikel Arteta's Press Conference. Starting 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.220 off with the pre -Brighton press conference analysis. 00:00:09.619 --> 00:00:12.679 Mikel Arteta has faced the media ahead of Arsenal's 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:14.779 Premier League clash against Brighton and Hove 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:17.199 Albion. The Gunners went into Saturday's match 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.019 top of the table with Manchester City two points 00:00:20.019 --> 00:00:23.260 behind Arteta's side. Ahead of the fixture, Arteta 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:25.679 gave his thoughts on the Seagulls, provided the 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.980 latest injury updates. and much more. What have 00:00:28.980 --> 00:00:31.420 you made of Brighton this season so far and their 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:33.920 style of play? Well, obviously, it is a club 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:36.600 that I admire a lot. And what they've done over 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:39.280 the last 10 years is incredible. They've had 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:42.259 different managers, and now Fabian has come in 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:44.579 and brought some very different ideas as well. 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:47.539 A lot of energy, a really, really committed team, 00:00:47.659 --> 00:00:50.179 and they look very, very together. They have 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:52.119 a lot of quality. They can play in different 00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:54.659 ways. They have versatile players, so it will 00:00:54.659 --> 00:00:57.200 be a tough match. I mean, I... I think Brighton 00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:59.899 epitomise what a Jekyll and Hyde team is. They 00:00:59.899 --> 00:01:01.939 can beat anyone in the league. They can lose 00:01:01.939 --> 00:01:03.500 to anyone in the league. They're going to have 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:06.459 peaks. They're going to have troughs. And they're 00:01:06.459 --> 00:01:08.319 going to end up somewhere in the middle of the 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:11.299 table as they invariably do. But Brighton is 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:14.319 a side that took two points of us last season 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:17.299 and didn't lose. So two draws. So we know it's 00:01:17.299 --> 00:01:18.819 going to be a tough game. Obviously circumstance 00:01:18.819 --> 00:01:22.359 played a major part in us not beating them on 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:26.170 two occasions. One was the Declan Rice. Red card. 00:01:26.569 --> 00:01:28.829 And the other one was obviously the Libre foul 00:01:28.829 --> 00:01:30.769 against Jal Pedro, which gave him a penalty. 00:01:31.290 --> 00:01:34.469 So obviously that should be enough incentive 00:01:34.469 --> 00:01:37.109 for us to want to go and win. What added to the 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:39.569 fact that Manchester City will win and go top 00:01:39.569 --> 00:01:42.250 ahead of us. You spoke about a really busy December 00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:45.730 period. How helpful is it now to be having two 00:01:45.730 --> 00:01:48.129 home games in this period? Are you going to have 00:01:48.129 --> 00:01:50.090 some time to switch off as well as the boys? 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:53.359 Well, we need to obviously prepare for what is 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:56.560 coming, but at least tonight and tomorrow I will 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.959 have some time with my family that are here. 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:01.840 And there is time to enjoy, there is time to 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:04.579 work and enjoy the pleasure and the opportunity 00:02:04.579 --> 00:02:07.219 that we have to be playing at this level in this 00:02:07.219 --> 00:02:11.669 country with the history that we have here. Yeah, 00:02:11.669 --> 00:02:13.969 I mean, Christmas period is a traditional period 00:02:13.969 --> 00:02:17.090 where there's a lot of fixtures over the festive 00:02:17.090 --> 00:02:19.409 period, over a short period of time. Points will 00:02:19.409 --> 00:02:22.990 be dropped, points will be gained. So I think 00:02:22.990 --> 00:02:26.330 it's a period where we need to kind of get the 00:02:26.330 --> 00:02:29.250 rotation right, use the squad. And this is why 00:02:29.250 --> 00:02:31.409 I think everyone has us favourites for the league 00:02:31.409 --> 00:02:34.039 because... of how strong our squad is. We've 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:37.319 obviously had an injury crisis, firstly in the 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:39.240 attacking positions. Now the attackers are all 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:41.580 back. We now have it in the defensive positions. 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:44.520 But hopefully, gradually, we can get all our 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:48.039 players back, like Gabriel, Havertz, people like 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:49.960 that. Obviously, now we have the depth to be 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.139 able to cope with the issues that we do have. 00:02:52.500 --> 00:02:54.680 Calafuri is in the top five players for being 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.759 the least dribbled past this season. Is he cover 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:00.919 for Gabriel if needed? Happy with his progress? 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:04.159 Well, he's done that, played at centre -back. 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:08.060 What he didn't do before is play as a full -back. 00:03:08.699 --> 00:03:12.080 So we brought him as well because we believed 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:14.580 that he could do both of them. Those stats are 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:16.479 really important, especially if they're still 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:18.840 aggressive to win the ball. I don't want players 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:21.039 just going backwards as they don't want to be 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.180 dribbled past. So those two, Calafiori and Gabriel, 00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:27.759 have a great mindset. Ricky's availability has 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.419 been really good this season as well. And I think... 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.759 Tonight, he played a really good game. Calafiori 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:36.539 has been amazing this season. For me, he's been 00:03:36.539 --> 00:03:39.439 Arsenal's most improved player. Obviously, like 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:41.520 I usually say during the press conferences, I 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.539 think he has worked well with Gabriel Ence defensively. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:49.900 He's always had that thrust going forward, that 00:03:49.900 --> 00:03:52.919 energy. He's an untypical Italian defender in 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:55.219 the sense that he is more attacking, which is 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:58.120 different. Probably a more modern -day defender. 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:01.719 He can play centre -back and left -back both 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:06.960 really well. I would say he is the most attacking 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:13.919 defender that we have. He's usually in level 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.379 with the penalty box, just rampaging forward. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:20.920 Defensively, he's really hard to get past. Really 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:25.439 strong, really committed, really powerful. All 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:27.560 in all, he's turning into a really fantastic 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:30.269 player. Kai Havertz is back in training for the 00:04:30.269 --> 00:04:33.730 first time this week. How close was he to making 00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:35.829 the game against Crystal Palace? Quite close. 00:04:36.089 --> 00:04:38.410 I think it will be a matter of days, not weeks. 00:04:38.750 --> 00:04:41.110 Let's see in the next steps how he responds to 00:04:41.110 --> 00:04:43.689 that. But he is, again, a player that we miss 00:04:43.689 --> 00:04:46.509 a lot. A player that brings the team into a different 00:04:46.509 --> 00:04:49.439 dimension. I am really happy to have him back 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:51.639 soon. Yeah, I already mentioned Kai Havertz. 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:53.639 He'll be an unbelievable addition to the squad. 00:04:53.779 --> 00:04:56.199 There's now depth in the attack. He can also 00:04:56.199 --> 00:04:58.720 be another body of midfield because I do think 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:00.899 we do need another midfielder. I think we've 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:03.060 only got four or five midfielders to cover three 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:05.279 positions. So obviously, like I already said, 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:07.779 we need to rotate and use the squad to the best 00:05:07.779 --> 00:05:11.399 of our and its ability. So having Havertz back, 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:16.189 I think we'll just be... icing on the cake to 00:05:16.189 --> 00:05:18.970 what now should be looking forward to which is 00:05:18.970 --> 00:05:21.490 a fantastic second half of the season as we started 00:05:21.490 --> 00:05:23.689 really well and do you think we'll see gabriel 00:05:23.689 --> 00:05:26.410 back across the next week or so we have to wait 00:05:26.410 --> 00:05:29.889 and see he hasn't trained yet so he's still doing 00:05:29.889 --> 00:05:32.870 his rehab but hopefully as quickly as possible 00:05:32.870 --> 00:05:35.730 he can be back because we know the situation 00:05:35.730 --> 00:05:41.139 now we have in the back line Yeah, Gabriel is 00:05:41.139 --> 00:05:43.579 the best centre -back in the world. So to have 00:05:43.579 --> 00:05:45.639 the best centre -back in the world come back 00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:48.899 into the team can only be a positive thing. Please, 00:05:48.939 --> 00:05:52.360 Jesus played well over an hour for Palace. And 00:05:52.360 --> 00:05:55.360 what does he bring to the team? Yeah, he's very 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:57.959 fit. We've been gradually increasing his minutes. 00:05:58.139 --> 00:06:01.680 But today, as long as he was OK, everybody was 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:04.829 happy to let him go. And before we started to 00:06:04.829 --> 00:06:07.790 take risks and get him into fatigue mode, we 00:06:07.790 --> 00:06:11.410 took him off. But I am very happy. Gabriel Jesus 00:06:11.410 --> 00:06:14.649 now is super fit, raring to go. It's great to 00:06:14.649 --> 00:06:17.449 have him back now. But hopefully he can get sharper 00:06:17.449 --> 00:06:19.410 because he could have scored in this particular 00:06:19.410 --> 00:06:21.750 game against Crystal Palace. Probably one or 00:06:21.750 --> 00:06:24.129 two goals, in fact. But I give him a blind say. 00:06:24.290 --> 00:06:26.810 Match fitness, rustiness. Over time, though, 00:06:26.850 --> 00:06:28.990 I do expect him to now get back on a score sheet 00:06:28.990 --> 00:06:31.680 again. Brighton at home last season you drew 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:34.759 and Declan Rice was sent off I remember very 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:37.480 well I was very hacked off in the manner that 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:40.060 we played with 10 men so hopefully it is going 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:43.079 to be very different this time hacked off I'm 00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:44.959 sure what does he mean by that does he mean like 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:47.399 he's not happy the fact that we played defensively 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:50.079 or he was hacked off with the red card that one's 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:52.399 not quite clear it came in that period of the 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:55.199 season you had a few red cards bizarre red cards 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:57.339 at the start of the season but you haven't had 00:06:57.339 --> 00:06:59.569 that this year can you talk about bit about that 00:06:59.569 --> 00:07:02.329 i think the rules are different now so we paid 00:07:02.329 --> 00:07:05.790 a big price with that rule and hopefully that 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:08.449 stays away and we continue to play with 11 players 00:07:08.449 --> 00:07:11.569 yeah because if we have an injury free squad 00:07:11.569 --> 00:07:14.269 or relatively and 11 players on the pitch we're 00:07:14.269 --> 00:07:16.029 going to win this league you're actually top 00:07:16.029 --> 00:07:18.389 in the fair play league i didn't know that is 00:07:18.389 --> 00:07:23.050 good very good that's amazing What a bizarre 00:07:23.050 --> 00:07:25.850 turn of events. Only in December, but top of 00:07:25.850 --> 00:07:28.170 the Premier League, top of the Champions League, 00:07:28.230 --> 00:07:30.730 in the semi -finals of the League Cup, the players 00:07:30.730 --> 00:07:33.889 seem to believe that the fans are talking about 00:07:33.889 --> 00:07:36.389 a quadruple. Are you thinking that's a possibility? 00:07:36.750 --> 00:07:39.730 I'm just thinking about going home, have some 00:07:39.730 --> 00:07:42.709 rest, enjoy one day and then start to talk about 00:07:42.709 --> 00:07:45.949 Brighton. That is what we have to do. I think 00:07:45.949 --> 00:07:49.350 the fact that Man City can also win a quadruple. 00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:53.660 has gone over a lot of people's heads. So we 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:57.319 need to be aware because no one is talking about 00:07:57.319 --> 00:07:59.720 Man City's chances of winning a quadruple when 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:01.680 they're only two points behind us in the league. 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:04.000 They are well poised to finish in the top eight 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:06.000 of the Champions League. They are also in the 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:08.540 semifinals of the League Cup and obviously they 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:10.959 have a favourable FA Cup draw. So I think we 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:13.300 need to watch out for Man City. It's a great 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:17.120 run, isn't it? A winning mentality. It is great. 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:20.269 We are here. Happy Christmas to everybody. Thank 00:08:20.269 --> 00:08:21.170 you very much.