Arteta on Chelsea challenge, title race and Ramsdale (Full presser)
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on the challenge of facing Chelsea, the title race and Aaron Ramsdale being dropped
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00:00 How is the team use?
00:05 Not a lot. We haven't had a lot of players. It's the first training session we're going
00:09 to do together today and we'll know more after the session.
00:12 Did the international break come at a good time for you?
00:21 You're on a good run, you want to continue but it is what it is. We have used it in the
00:26 right way. We have a lot of players on duty. Connect everybody with the same mindset and
00:33 go because we're going to have a really difficult game against Chelsea.
00:36 Pep Guardiola gave you a message after he spoke to you, what did he say?
00:42 Nothing as usual. We have lost quite a lot against them and when you win you get congratulated.
00:48 It was an important game, it was a beautiful day for us and we move on. It seems like ages now.
00:55 Your neighbours are currently top, but ultimately do you still feel it's a two-horse race between
01:02 yourselves and Man City or do you see other teams involved?
01:04 I don't have a clue who is going to be involved. We want to be there, that's the only thing I
01:10 know. In order to do that we have to be perfect. The league is so demanding, you see it every
01:15 single week and I think it's very, very open.
01:18 How much are you looking forward to the game tomorrow?
01:23 It's a big game and we know there is a big history between the two clubs and the type
01:28 of games we have played against them. It's a very different one this season. I've been
01:34 really impressed by Chelsea. I think they deserve much more than what they got on the table. I think
01:39 what Mauricio has done in a really short time is phenomenal and we're going to have to be at
01:43 our best tomorrow.
01:44 I bet Kai Havertz is excited to go back with you?
01:46 Georgie as well, I'm sure they will be. They were there, they talked really highly about
01:51 the club and everybody there. It will be a special day for them.
01:54 You said you feared for your England place if you didn't win it back in the Arsenal side.
02:02 How do you approach that? Do you try and give him more games or does he just have to
02:06 win his place back? It's not easy for you?
02:08 It's not easy for any player when he's not playing as much as he would like to. The only
02:14 way to do it is to work harder, to show the passion you have for the game, to contribute
02:19 to the team in a different way. When you get the opportunity, do your best and try to help
02:25 the team to win the game.
02:26 Finally, a club close to your heart. Rangers appointed a new manager this week. Philippe
02:30 Clement, I know how much you love the club. Do you want to make a few comments?
02:33 I wish him the best and hopefully he can deliver again what he's done in other clubs because
02:38 he has a phenomenal career already. I wish him all the best and hopefully we can get
02:43 the club back to where we want.
02:48 Going back to the Manchester City result, a lot of people were saying at the time it
02:52 would be a massive psychological step for Arsenal to get that win under their belts.
02:57 Is that something you can genuinely feel around the place since then and just getting the
03:01 players in over the last couple of days? Is it something you can take into the Chelsea game?
03:04 Well, that's the last experience, the last feeling that we had between us. It was a beautiful
03:10 one. You could sense in the atmosphere the importance of the game and the way we won
03:15 it and how we competed against that team. But it's just a game. Now it's about having
03:21 the consistency and keeping the standards very, very high because the next game against
03:26 Chelsea is going to be even harder.
03:27 Chelsea themselves, difficult start to the season. They've won their last three in all
03:31 competitions. Was it always a matter of time for Chelsea with the players and the squad
03:35 that they have that things would eventually start to click? Or do you think it's too soon
03:39 to say that they've turned it around?
03:40 I think when you look, first of all, the management, the coaching staff they have, the history,
03:45 the club that they have and the players and the squad that they have is going to happen.
03:49 I think it has happened pretty quickly. Not only the last three results. I think, as I
03:53 said, again, I think they deserve much more in terms of points and results than what they
03:58 already have. So you can see that they're going to be up there.
04:00 How difficult has it been to prepare? Obviously the players have been away,
04:04 internationals, you've had injuries. In terms of putting together the team that you'd want
04:08 to send out on Saturday, have you got an idea in your head or is it still a matter of,
04:14 I'm going to have to see where we are?
04:15 I do have the idea, but I have to see them all together today, how everybody is, because
04:21 we have a lot of people travelling around the world and with a lot of minutes on their
04:25 legs. I want to have and judge what is the best for tomorrow. Not only in terms of what
04:30 I want to do tactically, but how is the energy, how is the mood, how is the spirit. In order
04:35 to do that I'm going to have a better clue after the training session today.
04:39 Chelsea have spent a lot of money over the last couple of years, but they haven't bought
04:49 an out-and-out striker, an out-and-out number nine, in a sense of playing different players
04:55 in that position. You started doing that when you were at Man City, you've done it a bit
04:59 when you were at Arsenal. In terms of not having an out-and-out striker, can you explain
05:04 the bonuses of that from a managerial perspective?
05:07 Well, I think having players with different qualities gives you different options and
05:12 always as well as related to the opponent, what behaviours do they have and what other
05:16 players you have around that nine. You have midfielders as wingers, they only come to
05:22 feet and a nine that wants to come to feet and attacking midfielders that are more holding
05:26 midfielders, then you don't have any threat. You have a nine that wants to come attacking
05:30 midfielders that are constantly threatening the last line, proper wingers there, then
05:35 it becomes a different threat. You have players in the last line that can progress the play,
05:39 you have players in the last line that can link to those pockets to make the runs and
05:44 attract central defenders. It depends a lot on the qualities of other players. You can't
05:48 just isolate the nine, you have to see the whole thing, how it connects and what kind
05:53 of threats and things that you do. For sure if you don't have a big nine inside the box,
05:58 you lose something. If you're going to start to cross with your full backs you're going
06:01 to have probably an issue. But there are many ways to attack and depending on the opponent,
06:05 obviously maybe that option is better than another one.
06:08 Are midfielders like Hammett or Noongaard as important as the guy who is right down
06:16 the centre or is it more the players like Martinelli who is approaching 100 games for Arsenal?
06:21 I think it's the combination of those qualities and there are certain ingredients that you
06:26 should have as a team to attack well. It's not only the nine but it's many other players.
06:32 England are now qualified, would you like to see, from an Arsenal point of view,
06:43 maybe him getting a little bit more time off internationally, as we all know he's going to
06:47 play in the Euros next summer, so that you have more options to use in this season or
06:51 do you think that's unrealistic?
06:53 Well I don't know how they're going to approach it. When our players are fit we are really
06:58 happy to let them go on to the national team and we've always done that. The players want
07:02 to go and I think it's a great fulfilment and opportunity for them every time they are there.
07:07 So if players are fit they're going to be available to be taken.
07:10 He's seen as the jewel in your crown and the jewel in England's crown as well,
07:13 we don't want him to burn out this season.
07:15 No you don't. You don't know the balance but you ask the players,
07:18 sometimes they feel much better when they are playing every three or four days.
07:22 They can get a knock, they can get an injury, this is part of the game.
07:25 Does Saka want to play tomorrow?
07:29 I'm sure he wants to play, yes. I don't see any player there that he doesn't want to
07:34 be in the starting 11.
07:36 On Saliba, can you just explain what the injury is? Is it an injury to his big toe?
07:41 I mean it sounds like it's quite a rare injury. Is that a reoccurring problem?
07:45 Could this basically plague him until the end of the season or is it just a one-off?
07:49 Hopefully no but obviously he's been carrying that for weeks now and we have to use that time
07:54 as well to settle and we believe it was the best moment to do it.
07:59 So is he a doubt for tomorrow?
08:00 Depending again on how he's able to train today.
08:04 Just in terms of Chelsea, when you took over Arsenal,
08:08 Arsenal had a bit of a problem winning away against rivals.
08:12 You've turned that around, I think you've defeated Chelsea four times in a row.
08:15 So have you just got better players now? Is the mentality going away at
08:19 Stamford Bridge, you're now favourites. How has that all come about within the squad?
08:24 I don't know. It goes game by game. Tomorrow they have a really strong squad, they play at home.
08:32 We have as well. We're in a good moment. We try to play better than them and
08:37 beat them and that's it. What happened in the past, it doesn't really matter.
08:43 Have you had much dealings with him over the years?
08:44 First of all, it was my first professional opportunity in Paris and we just arrived at
08:53 the same time. We lived together in a hotel for three months. He was critical. He's been
08:57 one of the most influential persons in my football career, first of all as a player.
09:01 Without him, he took me under the arm like this and he looked after me like a little child,
09:07 a little brother. It was a big part of the success I had in Paris. It was because of him.
09:13 Because he really looked after me, gave me a lot of confidence, a lot of advice and he's
09:18 been a role model for me since that day. Not only when I was a player but as a manager as well.
09:24 Because we had to make a decision to leave playing and start my coaching career,
09:30 he had a big say in that. I will always be grateful to what he's done for me.
09:35 Have you had dinner since he's been back in London?
09:37 Yeah, we've seen each other a couple of times.
09:39 When you did retire as a player, there was talk that you might have been
09:48 talked with Mauricio. Was that ever close?
09:50 Probably. That was because of our relationship. I had various opportunities to go and I didn't
09:59 know and I went with his advice and his experience. That was very important for me to make the decision I made.
10:06 When he came back and went to Chelsea,
10:09 it's a bit of a poison chalice at the moment, Chelsea job. Do you think with his experience
10:13 and what you know about him, he can turn it around?
10:16 Yes. You can see already that something has changed very quickly.
10:23 You're penalty takers. You've had five different takers of your last 10 spot kicks in the league.
10:28 Do you have a set hierarchy? If not, because it seems not,
10:32 what goes into the decision about who takes the penalty?
10:34 There is one, but they have surprised me as well this season. I already told you.
10:40 I don't really know who is going to take it. Sometimes when I see that and someone is on the
10:46 wall, I'm still doubting. They have the freedom to do it. They practise a lot and it's what they
10:52 decide on the day. It's the best thing to do.
10:54 Would you ever consider getting rid of the hierarchy and making it a bit more unpredictable,
10:58 not just for your players but for the opposition goalkeepers?
11:01 It's a very particular moment and it's very related to game state and what you've been
11:07 doing and how you feel emotionally and confidence-wise. I don't like to get too involved in
11:12 there. There is some preparation obviously and there are certain players that if they are
11:19 in contention to take that penalty, the practice has to be there. That's the only thing I demand
11:24 them to do and after that it's their decision.
11:26 Just with Mikael, with the busy period coming out, particularly that festive period,
11:32 how beneficial do you think it will be that he's had 10 days where he's not been playing,
11:38 given how much he's played?
11:39 Yeah, but he's been working so hard to be fit for this game and let's see where he is today.
11:46 He had a couple of days off that he needed as well but the rest unfortunately as well
11:50 is not being rest for him because he needs to do the training and train and get ready to
11:55 be able to play against Chelsea.
11:57 You talk about young players and burnout, do you as a club or as a person have to say to them,
12:03 'Look, you need to stop playing for a bit because they want to play every week and sometimes you
12:07 need to control a player burning out'?
12:09 Yeah, obviously it's our responsibility to monitor them but as well it's about relation
12:14 to the days off that they get and the way we train and can we take certain parts of training
12:20 out because it's not only about the minutes when they are on the field because sometimes
12:24 we want to rest them there but we ask them to be three hours on the field without making them
12:28 a big favour. So there is some balance there but at the end, when you want to be a top,
12:34 top player you have to be able to play every three days and play 65 to 70 games. It's what it is.
12:40 You said that last season as well, do you still feel that even with Pikaia's struggles now that
12:45 he needs to play 65-70 games or has it changed the way you think you need to manage him?
12:50 No, I think we have to play when we see that he is in the right condition to play as well,
12:54 mentally, physically and that he is performing. He needs to deserve to play and that's another
13:00 story but so far when he has played that amount of minutes a game is because we believe that he
13:04 was ready to cope with that.
13:08 Arsenal have been really solid defensively in the last few games,
13:15 not giving up a lot in terms of chances but maybe if you look at the figures from last season it
13:20 seems like they have sacrificed a little bit in terms of what they are creating in open play.
13:24 I just wondered, is that a deliberate shift of emphasis from you and is that something you
13:28 considered in the summer, trying to be more solid, more structured and focus on the defensive side?
13:34 I want to concede nothing and create a lot so that is no plan for sure. Obviously
13:40 we know the foundations to win games, what it's coming from and keeping the amount of
13:44 clean sheets we kept in the last seven games. Obviously that's very important to make the
13:48 right step but we want to attack better. When you do the comparison of all the teams that
13:52 they created more, you can't just isolate through 90 minutes. It's game state, there are periods
13:58 as well. The scoreline has a big say when those expected goals have shifted and I guess who do
14:03 you play against? That's another one. In eight games the comparison is not easy to do and a lot
14:10 of teams are defending with really low blocks. Open play is something but set-pieces are not
14:15 something very different to a game. It's something that is connected so it's important to be able to
14:20 do that because against low blocks we're going to generate more free kicks, more corners than
14:24 we did last year. That's going to have an impact. To attack well you have to attack well in various
14:28 areas because that's the moment the opponent can open up.
14:32 One factor that might help the Spurs is we've barely seen Gabriel Jesus,
14:36 Mikae Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on the pitch together. How excited are you to get that trio
14:41 back on the field and do you think that could make a big difference?
14:44 Yeah, obviously we had injuries and we had the availability that we have and we miss other players
14:48 as well in midfield that are very, very important. But I'm sure we'll get them back and it's about
14:55 being able as well to win and continue to perform in the right way when those players are not there.
15:01 Now we're going to have the opportunity to see and I'm sure.
15:03 During the international break Jack Wilshere had an interview with
15:09 Colorado Raphids over their head coach position. How concerned are you about losing him from the
15:14 youth set-up?
15:15 First of all I'm really happy that Jack is part of the set-up. I think he's done
15:19 really well. It's something that I think was very necessary in the academy and around the place.
15:25 These things are going to happen. When people are doing well you're going to get attraction and
15:30 then it will come down to him to make what he believes is the best decision for his career.
15:36 He's obviously got ambitions to be a manager one day.
15:38 Do you think way down the line he could be sitting in your seat?
15:42 Yeah, way down the line. You don't know when that is. It can be very soon.
15:46 He's got the potential to do it. I think now he's cleared in his mind why he wants to do it
15:53 and the reasons why he wants to do it. I think it's a big asset for the club to have him here.
15:59 You mentioned his influence on you. You said you spoke to him when he finished playing.
16:04 I just wondered what his advice to you was?
16:05 Don't go into coaching, it's too hard. That's the first thing. Is he clear? Yes.
16:12 OK, now what are the options? Yeah, I could tell. I knew he was going to be a coach and I followed
16:18 him very closely obviously because as a player he was already a leader the way he understood the
16:23 game. He was phenomenal. I used to have him in my back and he was constantly coaching me.
16:28 And yeah, very proud of what he's done and especially the way he's done it through his
16:34 coaching career. Do you think as a result there are similarities with the way you set up your
16:38 teams because you're so close together? No, I think in a lot of senses we are different.
16:44 He had some big influence in his career with some coaches, especially one that he had
16:49 that marked his career a lot. But in general I think we have a lot of values that are very similar.
16:56 Kevin from China TV.
16:57 In the last few seasons we spoke quite a lot about Arsenal team lacking a bit of maturity.
17:09 But this season I think we've seen a change. Are you confident now that you have
17:14 a grown up and mentally mature team at your hand?
17:17 Yeah, but that maturity is linked to what? To our results. So if that day you play in a really
17:26 mature way but you don't win then we will say that it's not too mature. So I don't pay too much
17:30 attention to that. It's the way we compete, the way we behave and the mentality that we have to
17:35 show regardless of that. And yes, I see an evolution not only this season but the season before as well.
17:40 I saw a big shift on that and certainly we can still improve.
17:44 In the big game on Saturday, is it more important for the players to keep their heads?
17:49 Too sorry?
17:52 In a game against Chelsea away, is it more important for the players to keep their heads?
17:56 Keep their heads? So to be focused you mean?
17:59 Yeah and to be better than them as well. Both.
18:04 Okay, okay.