Mikel Arteta was back behind the press conference desk at the Sobha Realty Training Centre the day before we face Tottenham Hotspur to give his thoughts on our home north London derby day.
He was asked to give an update about injuries following the defeat to Manchester United, how they affect transfer plans, his thoughts on Ange Postecoglu and much more.
Here is everything he said to journalists in attendance:
on the latest on Gabriel Jesus’ injury:
We know more now and it's not looking at all. We need to review with one more specialist, so we will probably have better information this afternoon.
on whether it’s an ACL injury:
I don’t want to confirm anything until we’ve had the final report this afternoon. It’s the doctor’s job to do that, but we were very worried straight away after the game and we are very worried today.
on whether it could be a season-ending injury:
Let’s wait until the tests.
on whether any other players could be available:
We have one more training session and there are a few that could be close. But again, this afternoon we’ll have the full info on the squad, who is available and who is not.
on whether Riccardo Calafiori could be fit:
His thing is not much, but again, we need another day or two. We’ve been playing every three days and 24 hours becomes really important because they are not long-term injuries, in that case for example. We will have more understanding this afternoon.
on if Jorginho is OK:
He was cramping when we were playing extra-time, Jurrien [Timber] was exactly the same, so we had a few players struggling to finish the game. He’s fine.
on if Jesus’ injury changes our transfer plans:
My answer doesn't change, it remains the same - we are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and that’s been the same since day one. It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances. So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let's see what we are able to do.
on transfers not being in our hands:
When you have to recruit a player, there are three parties and you have to agree to that. We have our limitations like any other club, so we can do what we can do. We plan our squad and we have our limits to do what we want to do, and that's it. So the fact that I love our players a lot doesn’t mean we’re doing nothing about improving - I am not that stubborn. We all want the same, so we use every opportunity to improve the squad daily, and when the market comes in and we can do that too, we’ll make sure that we have the best resources and the best capacities to compete in the manner we want.
on the derby:
It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, what it means to us and everybody involved in the game. This is something that is in our hands, for example. Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That's something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let's do it.
on the social media abuse directed at our players:
It’s incredible, and we really have to do something about it because accepting that and hiding this I think has terrible consequences. It's something that we really have to eradicate from the game because it’s so simple and so dependent on the result of an action, and there is no other industry like this. On December 27 at home, we won 1-0 and Kai Havertz scored a goal and the whole stadium sang the waka waka song.
That was 20 days ago. Where is the perspective?
We are all responsible, and all means you guys [the media], everybody is responsible for the narrative, everyone is responsible for how we talk. and we cannot look somewhere else. That's a really serious matter, and it affects him, it affects me, it affects everybody in the industry in a way. We can accept it and say that it's our job, yes, but there are certain limits and the line has to drawn. We put a lot of attention on technology and what is next, what is next in football, the next in football might be that this is prohibited. It cannot happen - that's it.
on whether this is toughest period with injuries as our boss:
This is a more challenging period that we’ve had, especially as we’ve lost very important players in crucial moments, but I don't know, things happen for a reason in this life. We have to adapt, and with everything that has happened, look how the team performs. OK, we didn’t win the other day, but if you have to go out of a competition, let’s go out like this when you have been infinitely better than the opposition, and on Wednesday we have another one. It’s probably the best time to play, because we know what that game means for all of us. So, let's face it, the circumstances are where they are, let's embrace them and let's get the best out of that because even with all that, look how the team plays.
on if his respect for Ange Postecoglu has grown within his injury crisis:
That's our job, it's very difficult to predict that those things are going to happen, but how we react, it’s something that is in our hands. You can be sorry for yourself and start to find excuses or face it. Ange has done that and last year they had some difficulties as well, and he dealt with it in the same way, so I really respect that.
on rebuilding our home form after two straight defeats:
For sure, I understand that it was a long period and it was something that gave us so much confidence. The fact that we lost two games in the manner that we did is painful.
on if the supporters knowing how difficult it is to win the league:
The narrative from the beginning is that the top four, five or six teams because of what we have done historically. We now have the ambition to win it, but this has not changed, regardless of what happens, regardless of the injuries, so it remains the same.
on if we have a need for a striker:
We have to believe that if we bring someone in, it has to make us better.
on if it’s in that position in particular:
In any position, because we have other issues as well. We need to understand that a player can bring a lot to the team in different ways. It’s not just about one player, because there’s not one player [in the world] who can guarantee that. We’re going to hope and believe and try to work on somebody that we believe can do that. That’s what we’re trying to do.
on if winning tomorrow can lead to a good feeling again:
It’s not rosy in the garden, because [if] I won two days ago in a way that I didn’t merit or because we won two games in a row, the next day, the garden is rosy again. These things are about what’s in the garden the next day. It’s our job, what’s in the garden the next day is the most important thing.
on a message to our supporters in Los Angeles following the devastating wildfires:
They have our condolences, they are suffering a lot when you look at what is happening and the time that this has extended for, how many people are affected. We obviously have our ownership there and a lot of friends and people who are big Arsenal supporters, because we have been over there for a few years. It's really sad, so it’s time to understand the situation and help as we can.
on supporting Havertz:
It’s not about the individual, I think there’s a big lesson here to learn from us how we have conducted, reacted and supported the players when they have been through a very difficult time. You guys have noticed sometimes when he’s just a professional, there’s a lot of personal issues as well. The club and the people here have been exceptional because every time there has been an issue, everyone has supported him and the outcome is always clear, the more support you have the better it is. We have explained that in particular from the beginning and when everyone is supportive, and they were talking about him being one of the best in Europe. The best medicine is that people really love the club and our players, support them, and that’s what I would like to see.
on making the most of a break in February:
We are looking at that now. Okay [the FA Cup] is gone, so how can we optimise the situation in the best possible way, so we're looking at options. The calendar and the fixtures are a bit dependent on what happens in the Champions League as well, so we’re looking and trying to plan the options.
on the importance of a break during a packed calendar:
We knew that and when we are involved in all the competitions, we’re prepared for that and we’re going to face it, that’s it.
on how he brings perspective to a player during a difficult time:
In terms of the cause, it’s very easy. When you look at the last 10 years, any player in Europe apart from [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi] had expected goals and finishing qualities, there is not a single player there that has been on that expected goals level, it’s very volatile. Expected goals and goals is a very volatile thing. You want to have the ambition to be there and score a lot of goals, so make sure that you are prepared to be volatile, even though you could go on and be a defender. That’s part of your job, volatility in expected goals and goals is really high. There’s a lot of smoke, a lot of things that you cannot control. So, the only thing that’s better is increasing probabilities, more expected goals, more situations, be there more, then it’s high. The finishing quality, every single player apart from those two [Ronaldo and Messi] is up and down.
on if his role has had to change since Edu’s resignation:
No, it’s completely fielded by Jason and obviously all the team that is behind it and we’re in constant communication on the role. We’re continuing to drive the same way, the same process that we had before, and Jason is in charge of that.
on changing our approach when facing a team that sticks to their guns:
No, at the end of the day, every team in certain phases, some of them can insist more than others but in general, every team has very clear intentions. They can change the system but the outcome that they’re trying to achieve is very similar. It’s just sometimes the way we verbalise our feelings and how we go about our jobs more than anything else.
on which players talk about the meaning of the north London derby to the younger players:
Well, we have a few now – we spoke with Ethan [Nwaneri] and Myles [Lewis-Skelly] as well, all players and a lot of the staff. You can feel it straight away when you are in the building that the big one is coming up and that excitement is around the building. They can feel it and they know about it.
on whether he'll do something special to boost motivation:
I’m not there yet. It’s better, especially when you’ve been knocked out of a competition, to play as quickly as possible, that’s positive.
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