Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta goes through Arsenal's never ending injury list ahead of their Premier League clash with Bournemouth
18/10/2024
Sobha Realty Training Center, London, UK
18/10/2024
Sobha Realty Training Center, London, UK
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00:00Good morning. You sat here two weeks ago and said you were pleased to see no injuries.
00:07Can we run through some of them please? I guess the top of the list is Saka after coming off against Greece.
00:18Where is he? What's the injury? Will we see him tomorrow? Is it a case of just managing the injury?
00:26It's not a serious injury. He's evolving really well. He's done a few things in the last two days.
00:32Obviously he wasn't fit enough to play with the national team in the second game.
00:36But we are hopeful. We have a training session this afternoon. He did some bits yesterday.
00:41So let's see if he can make it on time.
00:44I know you don't like doing injuries but there's obviously quite a few more habits.
00:48Was that precautionary that he wasn't in Germany and he isn't good to go?
00:53He had a few issues and we've been dealing with that. He's been absolutely brilliant.
00:58He has very good communication with the national team, with the manager.
01:01And he understood the situation. Obviously we have modified everything that we could do here.
01:06And again, if he trains well today he's got a good chance to be fit and available.
01:11And Martinelli, is that the same?
01:13Well with Gabi he landed yesterday afternoon here. So we had a very short time to be with him.
01:19Yesterday he went outside to do a little bit and see how he's feeling.
01:23And again today will be another step.
01:25And understand whether we want to take the risk if he's fit.
01:29Because I know what the player is going to say and he's going to be fit for sure.
01:33Some of the others coming back as well just wondered about progress on Odegaard.
01:38There's been lots of conflicting reports about where he is.
01:42Well I think he's not going to be fit for this game.
01:46Next week will be a different story.
01:48But again, in that later stage of the rehab where he is at the moment,
01:53because he's doing already a lot of stuff.
01:56He needs to clear some markers, he needs to clear certain things.
01:59He needs to be comfortable doing, especially with the ball.
02:02And I think next week will be crucial to understand how close he is.
02:07And the last other bunch, I guess, White, Timber, Zinchenko, any of them back near him?
02:16I told you there was a lot.
02:18They are quite close, the three of them.
02:22Again today we're going to have to try and push and see who it is.
02:27Because obviously we are a bit strong with the numbers, especially in our right side.
02:32But hopefully we have some positive news today and we have some players back for tomorrow.
02:37I just want to ask you a bit about Kai.
02:39He sat down with you a couple of weeks ago and he talked about the Bournemouth game.
02:44And the moment when Odegaard handed you the ball.
02:48And I think Odegaard described it as a beautiful moment.
02:50And you said, I believe this is the start of something.
02:53And he said from that day onwards it sort of flipped a bit,
02:57a bit of a switch in his brain.
02:59And it gave him a level of confidence that he's been able to move on and grow as a player and a person.
03:05And I wondered, the biggest change you've seen in him in that time?
03:10Did you ever imagine he'd get to this point from the point of where he was?
03:15Probably not.
03:16But I think that was a turning point for sure.
03:18I think the players took ownership, which is the best thing.
03:22And they decided to do something for the player.
03:25So that straightaway made him feel special.
03:27It made him feel respected, admired that everybody was willing and wishing the best for him.
03:33He delivered that day.
03:35I think the connection towards the supporters went to a different level as well.
03:39And everything started to click.
03:41And since then, well, the story is unbelievable.
03:44His involvement in every match, in what he produces to help us to win matches is incredible.
03:50And he's very positive obviously.
03:53When I spoke to him, we talked about some of the words he's got around the place,
03:58like courage and resilience and respect and those sort of things.
04:02And he said he feels like he embodies all of those things.
04:06He feels like he embodies what this club is about.
04:09Absolutely.
04:10I think it's an amazing role model, the way he behaves every day, the way he is as a person,
04:16the way he lives his life, how much he loves to play football, to compete.
04:20And again, part of that at the level is to handle and manage difficult situations.
04:26And I think he's an amazing example of that.
04:29Just finally, big news obviously this week with Thomas Tuchel's appointment.
04:34I wondered what your reaction was, given that a number of your players hopefully will be playing under him,
04:41what they might get from a coach like him?
04:44They're going to learn a lot.
04:46I think he's one of the best coaches in the world in my opinion without a doubt.
04:49He's experienced with the way his teams are set up.
04:54And yeah, very exciting times.
04:57I spoke to a few of the players.
04:59Straight away they had a smile on their faces.
05:01That's always a good sign.
05:07I'm not sure if you spoke about Partey when you were giving us the breakdown of all the players.
05:11Is he fit and will he be in contention to start tomorrow?
05:14Yeah, Thomas is fit, yes.
05:16And going back to Kai Havertz and signing him,
05:20obviously the fans weren't so convinced at the start with him not being able to contribute with goals.
05:26How vindicating is it for you and your team to identify the player, his potential,
05:32and to now get him performing the way he is?
05:35Well, that was the idea because we believed that he could do it.
05:39He could bring to the team certain things that we didn't have.
05:43Certain qualities that we were certainly lacking.
05:46But it was a big question mark because he wasn't producing what we required as well at that level
05:52a year ago or two years ago.
05:54But we believe that changing the environment could affect him in a really positive way.
05:58Every conversation that we had with him was very reassuring.
06:03You have a player that is going to try his very best to try to accomplish the objectives
06:09and then you have to make it work.
06:12It was a difficult start and at the moment we are in a great place.
06:17Your defence has had so much applauded both this season and last season,
06:21but you haven't managed to keep a clean sheet in the last three Premier League games.
06:25Are you concerned about that?
06:27Well, especially the way we concede certain goals with the little things that we have conceded
06:33to concede those goals.
06:35So there is room for improvement there.
06:37It's about being very consistent and making sure that we play with a level of urgency
06:44and cohesion and focus in every action.
06:47Because in the last few games, especially at home,
06:51the way we conceded the goals I wasn't very happy about.
06:54Finally for me, Bournemouth, a different perspective this season without Dominic Serranke.
07:00Only two wins so far from the opening games, but what do you think is their biggest threat?
07:05They are very well coached, they are a super intense team,
07:08really, really competitive, very clear idea of what they want to do.
07:12They should have very different results in my opinion to some of the things that they have,
07:18especially against the big teams and away from home.
07:21But it's going to be a big challenge.
07:24As an international player going to a place like them,
07:27with the courage, with the intensity, with the purpose that they play,
07:31we have to be at our best tomorrow.
07:35Ian Thompson.
07:37Thomas, you described one of the best managers in the world,
07:40Pep Guardiola was linked with it as well, another one of the best managers in the world.
07:46Is it for you, what does it say about the coaching by English coaches in this country
07:53that they couldn't find an English coach to rival those two?
07:57I understand the opinions and the feelings, obviously,
08:01but that's the responsibility for DFA to say,
08:04OK, the first filter is only English managers or the filter is any manager from any country
08:10and we select the best for the moment that we are in right now.
08:14And I understand that it can feel sad for some people not to have an English manager there.
08:21And the history tells you as well how important this could be.
08:24But I think I would take a lot of pride that a lot of managers,
08:28a lot of people would do anything to become the England manager.
08:33And that's related to, as a foreigner, how we are treated in this country,
08:37how much we love the passion, the respect, the history
08:42and the way things are done in this country.
08:45And that's some mistakes, and I can say personally,
08:47that you feel so related to where you are, even you are not from here.
08:51And I think that's a huge thing that I think very little countries can say that.
08:58I mean, you've been here so long that you're kind of English.
09:02Certainly, I look English, especially in July.
09:07If one day you were to be an international manager,
09:10would you say to yourself, because I'm Spanish, I only want to manage Spain?
09:14No, I tell you right now, the feeling I have, for me this is like home.
09:19I've been here 22 years, you know, and I have that feeling towards it
09:24because I always feel respected, you know, I always feel welcome
09:27and I always feel inspired by this country, by the legacy and the history of football
09:33and how you get treated daily.
09:36And that's something that, as a country, I think you guys have to be so proud about.
09:41It's a long way down the line, but maybe one day Jack Wilshere could be an England manager.
09:47You brought him into the coaching staff here.
09:49We, not me, we did it as a club and I think he's been phenomenal, yeah.
09:55How good is he and if reports are to be believed he might be heading for a new challenge,
10:01how good can he be?
10:03He's been great.
10:04Obviously, everybody knows about the career, about his character
10:08and he's a really special personality, you know,
10:11and his attachments to the football club is unique.
10:14He had it.
10:15He has this aura, his charisma, his way to connecting with the club and the people
10:19and since he came here he had a real impact
10:22because he's been an inspiration for the kids because of his history with the club
10:27and the way he did it and the manner that he did it.
10:29And, yeah, what comes next, that's his decision and the club as well.
10:36Hi, Mikel.
10:37I was just wanting to take you back to something you said in pre-season
10:40about almost sequencing game plans for specific opponents
10:44that come up that are similar to each other in a period of time.
10:47I found it interesting at the time.
10:49I was just wondering if that's actually been able to come into play this season
10:53and how that's kind of gone.
10:55Yeah, well, we try to plan in the international breaks
10:59what we're going to have next and what are the similarities of those things
11:04and with the limited time that we have, okay,
11:06what are the patterns, what are the things that are going to be efficient,
11:11you know, that we can work on in the majority of the matches.
11:15For the next one, it's a bit different to the previous one,
11:19especially because you play certain games at home and then away
11:23and the sequencing is a bit different.
11:25But it's true that the weeks are going to look different.
11:27We have more minus twos and minus ones to train compared to the previous one.
11:32So, yeah, adapt.
11:34In terms of that efficiency, has that been a different challenge for you this year
11:39or is it something you and your coaching staff are kind of used to now?
11:43I would say it's an opportunity, you know, that after analysing everything,
11:48how can we simplify the game in a really efficient way
11:52to be super clear with the team what requires in that specific moment
11:58to be better than the opponent and win the game.
12:01Simon?
12:02Mikel, you've got seven games now before the next international break.
12:06With Martin, are you confident that at some point during these seven games
12:10you'll get him back playing?
12:11Yes, hopefully, yes.
12:13And just on Tomi Atu as well, it's been reported he's been a bit of an issue
12:18in that Southampton game.
12:20Has he had a setback in terms of coming back from that injury?
12:22Do you know how long he's going to be out for?
12:24Yeah, we don't know.
12:25It doesn't look like, hopefully, a long period,
12:30but we'll have to see when he comes back how he reacts to the load
12:35and to the impact on the pitch as well.
12:37But, yeah, we really need him.
12:39He's been incredible.
12:41He's worked the amount of hours that he's put in to get back.
12:44He did it and he was in great shape and now he's got something else again.
12:49But we are all behind him.
12:51He needs our support and hopefully he will be fine.
12:54OK, finally, the live section to James.
12:56If they confirm that they spoke to about ten candidates for the new job,
13:01many of them were back in August,
13:03you haven't signed a new deal at Arsenal yet.
13:06No, and I didn't speak to them.
13:08I'm not one of those ten.
13:10I know you're obviously very happy here,
13:13but do you think you might go into international management one day?
13:16I haven't, not right now.
13:18We have all the responsibilities and the amount of things
13:21that we want to achieve and do here,
13:25so at the moment I'm not thinking about that.
13:27And obviously Bournemouth, Shakhtar, Liverpool in the next week.
13:31Do you feel the team's in a better place mentally
13:35to handle these kind of challenges now
13:37of switching between competitions, three big games in eight days?
13:41Yeah, we certainly have more experience to do that.
13:45In the previous period we showed that
13:52under very specific circumstances, different contexts,
13:55we were able to perform and get the results that we wanted.
13:58So now we have a different challenge
14:00and availability is going to be key as well.