Mikel Arteta and Mikel Merino preview Arsenal - Shakhtar
21/10/2024
uefa24
Sobha Realty Training Centre, London, UK
21/10/2024
uefa24
Sobha Realty Training Centre, London, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good morning, everyone, I hope everyone's well.
00:24To any Ukrainian Joe, I don't think there's any Ukrainians in the room.
00:28I thought we were going to lose.
00:31Try that again.
00:33It seems they are making the decision, isn't it?
00:40Funny.
00:41OK, let's go.
00:42Let's go. I think if the cameras are ready at the back, we'll kick off with Alex from the BBC.
00:46Hi, Michael.
00:47Hi.
00:48What did you say to the players after that game and what's the message ahead of the match?
01:18That's three red cards in Premier League games.
01:21There's been lots of talk around Josiah's disciplinary record.
01:25Do you think your team has a problem with discipline?
01:48Three very different actions.
01:50And the outcome of them, the reasons are very different.
01:53Regardless of that, we cannot continue to play with 10 men, especially at this level.
01:58And you see how we're struggling.
01:59All the teams have to win four matches.
02:01When you want to do it against 10 men for 65 minutes, the attack becomes almost impossible.
02:07So we need to eradicate that.
02:09It's clear why, the reason and how.
02:12It doesn't matter.
02:13We have to focus that it has to happen.
02:16You have to play without Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
02:20Are they any closer to being back and available?
02:23And if they're not, do your team have to learn how to play without them?
02:27They are closer and they're both progressing really well.
02:30Martin is still not fit with Bukayo.
02:33Let's see how he feels today and in the training session that we have later on.
02:38Autumn Sky.
02:39Michael, you mentioned that it was your first defeat in 17 matches.
02:45In terms of the bigger picture, did that form part of your discussions with the players
02:49since the Bournemouth game?
02:51And also, what have you said to them about eradicating those kind of mistakes
02:55that the likes of you and Declan Rice have talked about after that?
02:58I think we are already aligned.
03:00We cannot continue to play with 10 men.
03:03That's fine.
03:04It's easier to say it than to get it done.
03:06Because there are very specific moments that have produced that situation.
03:12It's that.
03:13It's reacting.
03:14You have a defeat.
03:15It's part of the game.
03:16It's part of the sport.
03:17It happens in very specific conditions as well.
03:21Let's move on.
03:22Take that pain that we still have in that tummy and use it for tomorrow night.
03:25It's obviously a quick turnaround for another game.
03:28Talking about your opponents for this, Shakhtar Donetsk,
03:32how much sympathy do you have for them
03:35and the way that they're having to prepare for games at the moment
03:39given the circumstances they're in?
03:41Obviously, a lot of sympathy for the situation that they are in.
03:45How can I imagine, especially speaking to Alice,
03:50how it affects that situation not only to yourself
03:53but for the whole country, your families, the whole environment
03:56and the incredible attitude that they are having towards the situation
04:00and, again, the things that they have to put in place
04:02to be able to continue to play football matches at this level
04:06and compete in the way they do.
04:07It's remarkable.
04:10We'll welcome them here tomorrow in the best possible way.
04:14And away from the Champions League, can I just double-check,
04:17are you planning to appeal the Williams-Oliver red card?
04:22That's more, I'll leave that more to the club to understand the circumstances
04:26and as well other examples that are very clear in the same position
04:30and they will have to decide it.
04:32Ian, talk to me.
04:34Hi, Mika, how are you?
04:35Very good, thank you.
04:36You mentioned there about Shakhtar and the way that they had to prepare.
04:40I mean, it shows, doesn't it, that football is important
04:43but actually it's not the most important thing in the world.
04:47No, clearly not, and especially when you're comparing
04:50with the situation that they are in.
04:52But as well, I think they have decided to use football
04:55with a lot of positive things that brings to life in a really powerful way
05:00and I think it's remarkable the way they have managed
05:03and managing the situation and the unity of the country
05:07and the capacity of a sport as well to bring joy to people's lives
05:11and that's something that we have to be very conscious of.
05:15You can't show any sympathy on the pitch and after Saturday,
05:18I guess tomorrow is absolutely vital for you to go and win another football match
05:23and get another unbeaten 17-game, six-month unbeaten run on track.
05:28Yeah, we have to start tomorrow, obviously.
05:30The desire is there, we want to desperately play these kind of matches,
05:34and we know, and the atmosphere is going to be terrific tomorrow night,
05:38so let's produce that and end right to win the game.
05:41Last one from me, you mentioned discipline a couple of times
05:44and now you can't play foot matches and win foot matches with ten men.
05:48Are you going to have to change the way, or are you going to have to ask the team
05:51to change the way they play then?
05:53Because you have had a lot of red cards since you've come to the club,
05:56maybe that's because you wanted them to be more aggressive
05:59and show a tougher side, but maybe they're going a little bit too far with that?
06:03Well, I think, for example, what happened in those three cases
06:07has nothing to do with aggression, in my opinion.
06:10But, yeah, everybody's got his own opinion,
06:13we want to be super competitive when we are and we show that it's great.
06:19When you show it and it doesn't go your way and you lose,
06:22it's something else, it's part of the judgement.
06:25Simon, even standard?
06:27Can I just ask you, is JĂŒrgen Zimmer close to playing tomorrow?
06:30And if not tomorrow, do you think he'll be back to Liverpool then?
06:33I think he's going to be close, obviously,
06:35we'll have to see how he deals with training with the whole group,
06:38because he hasn't done that yet, but he will be pretty close, hopefully.
06:42What's the issue with him, is it something to do with the knee injury before?
06:46No, it was a muscular injury.
06:48Can I just ask as well, with Van Der Beek,
06:51there's a lot of clamour and hype around Eton getting more minutes,
06:55give what they've seen off the bench, the cameos.
06:57How difficult is it for you, when you've got a talent like that,
07:00who's 17, to say, I'll just throw you in from the start,
07:04and also to try and hold you back, given he's a teenage boy?
07:08I think it's identifying moments, understanding where he is,
07:12where the team is, and what is the optimal moment
07:15to throw a player in that context.
07:17He's already done a lot in a very short period of time,
07:20so let's take it step by step and make sure those steps are consistent
07:24and can allow him to grow in the manner and form that we want him in the team.
07:46Well, it was different, obviously, because Leo has been playing more centrally,
07:49but Gabi, obviously, he had a calf issue with the national team
07:53and he came back and he wasn't fit enough to start the match,
07:57especially what happened last year.
07:59In a similar circumstance, we lost him for five or six weeks
08:02and we didn't want to do that, so we had to adapt that.
08:04That meant that we had to adapt our midfield as well,
08:07and there are options.
08:08Very difficult to have a proper assessment,
08:12because I expected the first 15, 20 minutes of Bournemouth away
08:16to be in a certain way, and we had to let the brownies settle a little bit
08:21to see a little bit more things.
08:23But yeah, there are different and new connections
08:26that obviously with injuries that we have to try.
08:29It's like the first time we played, Leo and Kai,
08:32I heard a lot of things while we were playing 4-4-2 and this connection,
08:35and then it was flowing and it was magnificent.
08:38So things need time in terms of unit connections,
08:42and probably yesterday or the other day's game
08:46is not the best one to analyse and take a lot of things from it.
08:51Alex as well, it's obviously a big game for him tomorrow.
08:54He's played just ten minutes since the first weekend of the season.
08:58I know he's had an injury which has kept him up for a long time,
09:00but how has his role changed now?
09:02Because there's obviously so much competition for places in the full-back position,
09:05and he was so important when he first came in.
09:07Maybe, at least from the outside,
09:09it seems like the influence on the team has diminished slightly,
09:12but how big a role does he still have to play for you going forward?
09:15Yeah, hopefully a big one.
09:16Obviously we need him fit.
09:18You know, availability is a big factor to maintain consistency,
09:21and obviously last year we had quite a lot of issues with that,
09:24and the start of the season again,
09:26hopefully he's now fit and we can start to use him,
09:29he can start to impact the team in a manner that he can,
09:32which is really powerful as well, and that's what we're hoping.
09:37I know you spoke about Jack a little bit last week,
09:40and I was just wondering, I think he was joining your coaching staff
09:44in the September international break,
09:46and there was, I guess, less international players around.
09:50I was wondering, in that men's coaching setting,
09:53what you might have saw from him?
09:55Did you see anything you liked from him?
09:57Well, obviously that's a collaboration that we had,
10:00the same with Mehmet.
10:01Every time that we are dealing with a lot of academy players,
10:04and he was involved, he's been great in everything.
10:07In terms of supporting the first team,
10:10in terms of bringing ideas,
10:12in terms of collaborating with anything that we wanted,
10:16I know him.
10:17We play together, we have a good relationship,
10:19and yeah, that's it.
10:21In terms of, I guess, coaching first team players and academy players,
10:25is the skill set a little bit different,
10:27what you might need to give to an 18-year-old
10:30compared to a 25, 26, 27-year-old?
10:32Yeah, but every player is different at the end,
10:35and every nationality, and the education and culture
10:39that each of them have is different.
10:41But Jack is very experienced because he's played in the game
10:44for such a long time,
10:45so you have to have that skill as well
10:47to connect with your teammates and with your coaches,
10:50and they are all different, different ages,
10:52different backgrounds, different nationalities,
10:54and I think that's a big strength of him.
10:57OK, guys, that finishes the live section.
10:59We'll now go to 10.30 tonight.
11:01We'll kick off with John.
11:02Hello, Mikel.
11:03Hi.
11:04Just to go back to discipline, just briefly.
11:08Since you've been managers, you've had 18 red cards.
11:12Do you recognise that within your team?
11:15Is there a need to speak to the players?
11:18Is it something you can address with the players?
11:20Is it a focus?
11:21As you say, all three this season,
11:24there's been question marks over all three,
11:27so I guess it's been both ways.
11:29Yeah, well, there are very different ones.
11:31I think there are two different periods
11:33when we used to have a lot and then not any,
11:35and then obviously we have three in a row.
11:37We have red cards for taking a throw-in.
11:41We have red cards for making a really bad tackle,
11:44or the last man makes a mistake and it's a penalty.
11:48Obviously it is a lot.
11:50I don't know what is little in five years,
11:53but it's something that we have to avoid for sure.
11:57Can I just...
11:58We're speaking to Mikel Mourinho afterwards,
12:00and I just wondered what he has brought to your team,
12:03what you like about him.
12:05He seems to have really integrated very quickly
12:07within the team ethos and within the dressing room.
12:10Well, a player with an unbelievable football brain,
12:14with a lot of leadership skills,
12:17that has the right experience.
12:19He's going to give us so much,
12:21very difficult to judge because he came in,
12:23he got injured straight away
12:24and he's only played a certain part of games yet.
12:28But you're going to see him grow
12:30and deliver big things for the team.
12:32He looks like a leader.
12:33Yeah, big time.
12:36Sam?
12:38Just on the leadership group,
12:40we've seen this season different players
12:42wearing the armband with Martin, obviously,
12:44and Gabriel.
12:45Has that leadership group evolved or changed since the summer?
12:49It's extending,
12:50because we are missing so many players
12:52that every game we are,
12:53OK, who is captain now?
12:54So, yeah, we are bringing new options every single time.
12:58Last time it had to be Big Gabi.
12:59I think Big Gabi was captain in a moment of a game or two,
13:02if I don't recall badly.
13:04But, yeah, we have to make that
13:06because of the domino effect of so many players
13:09that are first in line not being available to play.
13:12And with Bakayo specifically on that,
13:14he's showing leadership
13:15and being one of the sort of guys at the front.
13:18Is that something you've asked him to do
13:20in the past six months or so as he's grown up
13:22or is he taking that matter?
13:24Before that we already had our discussions
13:26and we said certain things that we have to do
13:29to give him the right example,
13:32to give him tools,
13:33to give him direction of what kind of leader he wanted to be.
13:36But he's certainly one of our most important players
13:39and that has to reflect on the team, certainly,
13:41on his own way.
13:43And he needs to be comfortable for that,
13:45but I think he's making the right steps.
13:47I think because he comes through the academy
13:49he's such a nice kid.
13:50He's so polite.
13:51One looks at him and I think over the last few years
13:53he's always a nice boy.
13:54But now he's not a boy, he's a man.
13:56It's a big thing.
13:58Yeah, but what I like about B that he's got that,
14:01but when he needs to show his teeth
14:03and have that edge, he's got it.
14:05And he does it in a really special way.
14:08But that is needed.
14:10Even though you don't sustain the level
14:12and play at the level that he does every week.
14:15Yes, sir?
14:16Hi, Raquel.
14:17On Saturday after the game you mentioned
14:19about Gabriel Martele's miss towards the end,
14:22which is obviously a big moment.
14:24Are you hoping from this, just in general,
14:26that Martele comes back and shows and proves to you
14:29how good he is and the ability that he basically has?
14:32Yeah, well, Gabi doesn't have to show me how good he is
14:35because I know how good he is.
14:37But yeah, we want the biggest possible efficiency,
14:40especially in the last metres in the right area
14:42next to the goal, to finish the game off,
14:44to have better margins, to win games more comfortably.
14:47And it's an area that we have improved
14:50but we have to continue to evolve.
14:52Of course with Shakhtar, with the circumstances
14:54that they're going through with the war, etc.
14:56You can imagine they'll be galvanised
14:58and very much open to this challenge.
15:00What have you seen from them as a team
15:02that you think could maybe pose a potential threat?
15:05Well, the fact that it's a team that is used to winning,
15:08they dominate a lot of the games in there.
15:11They have some very talented players,
15:13they have a great manager,
15:14and they have a really specific way of playing
15:17that makes it really, really tricky.
15:19And they have huge experience in the Champions League.
15:21They play in the Champions League every year
15:23and they know what they're talking about.
15:26And it will be tough.
15:28Jordan?
15:29Hi, Mika.
15:30You said on the potential appeal against Saliba's card
15:34that there are other examples that were similar to it.
15:37Is that still the frustration,
15:39that you can see similarities in decisions
15:41but the actual outcome is different?
15:44My frustration is that we lost the game, that's it.
15:47Regardless of the decision, we cannot change it.
15:51And I said it after the match,
15:54I'm not going to spend any time on that.
15:55I'll leave that for the club.
15:57After these run of spells, when you have red cards,
16:00you can really test a group.
16:02When you've been in that dressing room,
16:04is it a group that feels like the world is against them
16:06or is it a group that's galvanised and saying,
16:08come on, let's go and show them?
16:09It's absolutely galvanised and they show their teeth
16:12and they fight against the situation
16:15and they get comfortable.
16:17They say, OK, this is what we have to play,
16:19how we have to do it.
16:20We're going to do it and we are happy with that.
16:22But we understand as well that the margins of being successful
16:25and earning the results that we want minimises
16:29and obviously we need to change that.
16:31And you must enjoy that because there were times maybe
16:33when situations like this then spiralled
16:36but that doesn't seem to happen with this group,
16:38they move on from it.
16:40I think the relentlessness and the attitude of the team
16:43is remarkable.
16:44I told them yesterday, I watch the game two times more
16:46and after the way we play with ten men in those conditions,
16:49being the third time that you have to go through that
16:51emotionally, coming back from the international again,
16:56it's incredible.
16:58OK, Nick?
16:59Hi, Michael.
17:00Hi.
17:01I know it's still early days but I'm just wondering
17:03about the format of the Champions League,
17:06the big and new one and how it's going so far.
17:09It kind of strikes me that you could lose tomorrow
17:12and still have five shots at getting maybe five or six more points
17:16that you'd need to be playing on in February.
17:19And it also strikes me that no-one here is really talking
17:22about the importance of the game,
17:24whereas previously you lose one in the group stage
17:26and it could be caputed.
17:28Is it...?
17:29You said caputed?
17:31You said caputed?
17:33People are all right out there.
17:34Yeah, I like that word, I didn't know that one.
17:37No.
17:40It could be over or something.
17:43Does that mean there's a bit more edge to you?
17:48I'm sorry, message to you now in these games?
17:51Is there a messaging difference?
17:53No, when we look at the games that we have
17:55and how tough they are and the opponents we have to face
17:58and the importance of winning at home,
18:00and tomorrow is a day that we really have to show
18:03that determination, that quality,
18:06that in the Champions League the margins are so small
18:09and we're going to have to be at our best
18:11and we are fully focused only on that.
18:13So there's no different message to the players?
18:16And finally to Gary.
18:18I know John mentioned the red card,
18:20but actually this was not a last season,
18:22your record was second best to City last year.
18:25When you addressed it in the past,
18:27how did you address it in that sense,
18:30early on in your reign?
18:32Was it through videos or through messaging?
18:34And would you do a similar...?
18:36The most effective way, I have to be very honest?
18:39Not talking about it.
18:41Because we tried and we showed and we talked
18:44and we repeated the message, we had to play with 11
18:47and it happened again after a week or after three weeks
18:50and they said, guys, let's try something else.
18:52And then it disappeared.
18:54So I don't know if it's the right way or not,
18:56but that's what happened, that's the reality.
18:59OK, guys, thanks very much.
19:21Everyone ready?
19:23Moose, shall we start with you?
19:27Why not?
19:28Hi.
19:29How are you?
19:30Good, thank you.
19:31First question is going to be,
19:33you've won everything pretty much to win
19:35international level with Spain apart from the World Cup,
19:38what does it mean to win the Champions League?
19:42Well, good morning, everyone.
19:44First of all, sorry for my English, I'll try my best.
19:48Hopefully you can understand it.
19:51But yeah, I've been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies
19:55in my career, with the national team as well,
20:00and I know the feeling,
20:02it's something that you cannot compare with anything else.
20:08Knowing what this club is about
20:11and how big it is not only in the Champions League
20:14but winning trophies in general,
20:16winning the Champions League here will be amazing.
20:19Obviously, there is still a long way to go to achieve that,
20:25but I think we have the basics, we have the players,
20:29we have the mentality, and that has to be the goal,
20:32the ultimate goal.
20:33So hopefully we can start by tomorrow winning
20:38and keep on growing and building up
20:41from when the stage is the final, hopefully.
20:46You mentioned that winning mentality you've got.
20:48Arsenal haven't won the Premier League in 20 years,
20:51never won the Champions League.
20:53What can you bring because you're used to winning?
20:56What can you bring to a team because you're used to winning
20:59that they didn't already have?
21:03Well, I don't know.
21:04I think we have a pretty complete team,
21:06a pretty complete coaching staff as well.
21:09They all have that winning mentality as well.
21:12They might not have the experience yet
21:14because we also have a really, really young team.
21:18And as I said before,
21:20I've luckily had some experiences where I won.
21:26So just the experience when you have the moment of truth
21:33when you are in the final or in the semi-finals
21:36to be able to keep that mentality,
21:38to keep that calmness
21:40and try to do whatever you are doing on a daily basis
21:46has made you get to that stage.
21:50And finally from me,
21:52you're a sympathetic human being like everyone else.
21:55Shakhtar Donetsk,
21:56Mikael Arteta was talking about it in his press conference.
21:59They can't have the same preparation as you
22:02because of the board and the framework.
22:04Just outline for us on a level, player to player,
22:08how sympathetic you are to that fight?
22:11Well, a lot.
22:13Obviously, sitting right here,
22:15I cannot even think about what they must be feeling
22:21or what their life is like.
22:24But obviously, we are very empathetic.
22:34And I wish them all the best, obviously,
22:40for their career, for their life.
22:42Hopefully, these situations stop as soon as possible.
22:47But obviously, we cannot control that from here.
22:51We will try to host them in the best manner possible.
22:58And yeah, that's it.
23:01Thanks, Luis.
23:02Paul?
23:03Hi, Mikael.
23:04Mikael, the defeat against Bournemouth
23:06was Arsenal's first loss in 17 matches.
23:09So how good is it to have a game so quickly after a weekend like that?
23:15Yeah, it's always good when you lose a game.
23:22It's always bad when you win because this is football nowadays.
23:26You don't have time to think about the last game,
23:29about the last action.
23:30You always have new things coming, new challenges.
23:33And it's really good to have a game now.
23:37We can try to win, try to give our best versions in front of our fans
23:41and try to not erase because obviously we have to think about it
23:46and try to get better and learn from the mistakes.
23:49But yeah, to have a new feeling.
23:52What has Mikael Arteta said to you as a group of players
23:56since the Bournemouth game about eradicating some of these mistakes?
24:02Well, for us it's always about winning.
24:06Mikael knows that.
24:08Mikael is always telling us that we have to win in any context.
24:12And the thing is we have the team capable of doing that.
24:18We have been playing in a very challenging situation
24:23for the last couple of weeks.
24:27But obviously the coach told us that he's really, really proud of the effort,
24:33of how the team managed to play with one player less for almost the whole game.
24:40So, yeah, it's about just taking the good things as well,
24:44not only the bad things,
24:46and we both try to improve for the next.
24:49Alex?
24:50Hi, Mikael.
24:51We haven't had too many chances to speak to you since you arrived.
24:54So how's it been settling at the club?
24:56It's been great.
24:58It's been difficult at the beginning
25:02because nobody wants to get injured in the first session.
25:06Obviously when you come here you want to make an impact.
25:10You want to prove why they signed you
25:12and you want to start building up that confidence
25:15and that relationship with your teammates.
25:18But, yeah, I think after the injury everybody helped me so much.
25:24Not only the players, but the staff, the fans as well.
25:29I felt the love immediately
25:31and that helped me a lot to recover as fast as possible
25:35and at the same time to build a relationship with the whole team.
25:39So I feel like right now I'm at a good stage.
25:42Obviously not at the best one, but I'll get there.
25:46You mentioned your injury and Mikael Arteta said you're continuing to grow.
25:51So how long do you think it is before we'll see the best of you in an Arsenal shirt?
25:55Well, you never know. Hopefully soon.
25:58But, yeah, I have still some things to do at the physical level,
26:03at the technical level, obviously at the tactical level.
26:06There's a lot of things different from my old club.
26:10So it's just a process.
26:13I'm doing the best that I can to speed it up
26:17and all the staff and the whole club is helping me a lot.
26:21And, as I said, hopefully it's going to be soon.
26:24Sam?
26:26Obviously you've played Premier League football before and had a six-year break.
26:31Did it feel different coming back to it this weekend than it did when you played for Newcastle?
26:36Had it changed in any way?
26:40It had both feelings.
26:43Obviously the atmosphere, the chants, the language, the smell of the grass,
26:50everything is the same.
26:52But football changes with time, players change with time,
26:57and I think I have changed from the player I was six, seven years ago.
27:02The tactics are just a completely different league now than what it was seven years ago.
27:08So it's just a mix between the same old atmosphere,
27:13passion for football, just loving the environment.
27:19But the evolution of football, of tactics and how you play on the pitch,
27:25that's the main difference.
27:28Because we're English and we're here, we always think,
27:31oh, the Premier League is the best, it's the fastest, it's the most intensive,
27:34it's the most intense, but you've got experience of other leagues too.
27:37Does that stack up? Is that true, do you think?
27:44Well, I don't want to talk bad about other leagues or about this league,
27:49but every league has its differences.
27:54Premier League is obviously one of the best in the world,
27:57if not the best.
27:58The quality of the players, the pace, the rhythm, the atmosphere,
28:01everything is just out of this world.
28:06Honestly, I'm really glad to be here,
28:08to be playing against the best teams, against the best players.
28:11That's what we want as a competitor, to play the best, to be the best.
28:16Hopefully this year I can enjoy a lot, learn and grow,
28:20and for the future be an even better player.
28:27You came here and you were top of Europe, you tackled one, headers, duels.
28:32Is that something that six, seven years ago you were always doing,
28:35or is it something over your career you targeted and said,
28:37this is what I'm going to make my best match using,
28:39something you worked at?
28:44As I said before, I think players change with age, with experiences.
28:49Obviously I'm not the same player now that I was when I was 18 or 19.
28:55I've been evolving my game, and I think when I was 18 or 19
28:58I didn't have this physical level.
29:01When you mature, when you grow, when you start working and training,
29:04you get better in the physical aspect and the tactical as well.
29:13I think I've always had the mentality of trying to win every duel,
29:18but now I feel more prepared physically to do so.
29:23As I have said in a couple of interviews before,
29:27I'm not promising I'm going to win every duel, that's for sure,
29:30but I can promise I will try to fight for every duel that is the last one.
29:35That has been my mentality forever,
29:38and that's the mentality I will still have in the future.
29:41Who in the midfield did you admire as you developed,
29:44because you liked the way they played?
29:48I've admired a lot of midfielders because luckily in Spain
29:51we have had a couple of them.
29:57In England as well, the Lampards or the Gerrards,
30:00the Cesc FĂ bregas, Vieiras,
30:03all these kind of all-around midfielders that can play box to box,
30:07that can score, that can defend, that can win duels,
30:11that can dictate the tempo of the game.
30:13Those are the midfielders that I look up to.
30:18But in Spain, of course, Xavi, Iniesta,
30:21that mentality of keeping the ball,
30:23trying to play short passes,
30:24trying to dominate the game through the ball and pass a lot,
30:27those were the kind of players I admired when I was a kid.
30:32You mentioned the Lampard,
30:33is that something you feel you have in your game?
30:35You have goals, you know about attacking,
30:37do you think going forward you have that element to this team?
30:42I hope so, for sure.
30:44That's one of the reasons I'm here,
30:46because I think I can be a threat in the opposite box.
30:51That's something I need to work to get better at,
30:54because I know I can develop myself even more.
30:58I have a high ceiling,
31:00so of course goals are not the main thing for a midfielder,
31:05but if you can provide them,
31:07it's going to be a whole different thing for you as a player.
31:10So hopefully in the future I can get better at that,
31:13and I can score a lot of goals for Arsenal.
31:15We'll move to this side of the room with John.
31:19Mikel Arteta said that you were a leader
31:22and had a football brain,
31:24which is incredibly complimentary about that aspect of your personality.
31:28Did you get that from someone?
31:31Has a coach been particularly influential that's made you think?
31:36I just wonder whether long-term you can see yourself going into coaching.
31:41Well, the first part,
31:44I've been lucky that my father was a footballer back in the day.
31:49When I was growing up and I was 14 or 15 years old,
31:53he became a coach,
31:55and he was coaching the academy teams in my boyhood club.
32:00I would sit at home with him watching their games,
32:05and he would explain to me things that happened in the game,
32:09more of a tactical aspect in the global team,
32:12whereas as a player you only maybe think about you as an individual.
32:17I think that was the first time I started looking at football as a whole,
32:22as a team, as 11 players against 11 players,
32:25and the whole tactics behind the ball.
32:30Yes, I've been lucky to be coached by a lot of amazing coaches.
32:37I've learned a little bit about every one of them,
32:42but Emmanuel Alguacil, the coach I had in Real Sociedad,
32:45was the one who woke me up or woke up the aspect of the tactics
32:50and the mathematics of the game.
32:54And in the future, I don't know, I love the tactics,
32:57I love the football, I love being around football,
33:00but I see how coaches age,
33:05and I don't know if I want that for me.
33:08So, let's see in the future.
33:12Don't try to retire me yet.
33:14I guess we saw a lot of you, and in Europe you obviously had a special time.
33:20How much of a big point in your career was that as a learning experience?
33:25I mean, luckily you broke our heart,
33:27but it was clearly a really special summer for your generation.
33:33Absolutely.
33:34It's been probably the best summer of my life
33:37because of a lot of things that have happened.
33:40But winning the Euros, for sure,
33:44it has changed my life to the best in the football aspect as well.
33:50Signing for Arsenal, winning the Euros is amazing.
33:53It has been a dream come true.
33:56I grew up watching the Chavis and Iniesta's that I told you guys,
34:02just a minute ago, winning World Cups and Euros,
34:05and you thought about them as legends,
34:08and now you are the one winning a Euro,
34:10so it's just kind of crazy to me,
34:12but it's just an amazing feeling.
34:15Nick?
34:16Hi, Mika.
34:17I don't know if you saw, but last week FIFA, the players' union,
34:22made a legal complaint against FIFA about the global matchday calendar,
34:28and basically the number of games you guys are playing.
34:30They took legal action about it,
34:32and I thought, given that we're about to play a Champions League game
34:36in this big, expanded, new competition,
34:39where there are at least two more games for you guys, maybe four,
34:42I wonder whether you thought that's the only option now
34:45to take drastic action to ensure that you guys are protected
34:49and not playing too many games?
34:51Wow.
34:53Long question.
34:54Sorry.
34:56Yeah, about the games.
34:59It has been a difficult topic, a tricky topic,
35:03for the past few months, if you will say.
35:10It's a difficult one because obviously we are players,
35:14I love to play football,
35:16I don't even care how much I have to rest or not rest
35:19because whenever there's a ball in my feet I feel happy,
35:22but at the same time we are reaching a level
35:24where players are getting injured
35:26and the level of the game is not at the highest point
35:30because of resting.
35:32So I think it's in the best for everyone
35:37to get to a point where we can keep playing,
35:42keep giving like a spectacle, is it called?
35:48Because if players are not rested they're going to be injured,
35:53everybody wants to see the big names perform
35:56and do all these amazing tricks and be high-quality football.
36:00So, yeah, hopefully we can get to an agreement
36:03and get to a point where everybody is happy
36:06and we can keep going and enjoying football.
36:09Do you feel on your body that the demands have got higher and higher
36:13as the years go on, do you think the demands have got higher
36:16in terms of how high you feel it?
36:18Yeah, I've been playing European football for six, seven years now
36:22in a row, so your body starts to feel it.
36:25Maybe when you have been playing for one or two years
36:28your body doesn't even care about how many times you have to rest,
36:32but when you're getting older you start to feel it.
36:35But right now I feel great, I've come from an injury
36:39so I don't feel tired at all.
36:41I just want to keep playing, keep improving my physical aspects
36:45and just get to that level again where I feel 100%.
36:51Yes, Sam?
36:52You come across quite mature, where does that come from?
36:55Is there any particular experience or thing from your background growing up?
37:00Yes, as I said before, the fact that my father was a footballer back in the day
37:04helped me a lot because he could give me a lot of clues or tips
37:08about how football life works,
37:11and at the same time I went away from home really young.
37:15I went to Germany, then to England, back to Spain,
37:19now I move again, and those are experiences where you learn,
37:24when you are forced to learn because you are 18 years old,
37:26you don't have your mother anymore to cook for you,
37:29so you have to wake up and start doing things by yourself.
37:33Learn new languages, try to perfect your English, your German,
37:36and that's what I think makes you wake up and try to mature.
37:41Your fellow Spaniard, David Raya,
37:43has had an unbelievable start to the season in goal.
37:46What have you made of his performances?
37:48Could you envisage that spike in performances?
37:53Yes, David is an amazing goalkeeper, an amazing guy,
37:57he has had an amazing season last year,
38:02he has started in amazing form this year,
38:06that talks a lot about how strong he is mentally,
38:09and of course how hard he works physically,
38:11he's always pushing himself.
38:14I am lucky enough to play with him in the national team as well,
38:17you can see him performing really well there,
38:19he's always working hard even when he's not playing.
38:23That's just a good example for everyone,
38:26for what we should do, just keep working,
38:29keep trying to push ourselves even if we are in a good position.
38:34Hopefully we can all learn,
38:36I think everybody has the same mentality as him,
38:38and we can start getting better performances.
38:42Last couple, we'll start with Jordan.
38:45In the past last year you've been criticised for not being physical enough,
38:50now that Atletico are built as a team of giants,
38:55and you're one of them,
38:57how much does it make a difference when you're in that tunnel,
39:00and you're lining up with your team-mates,
39:02and you're all six-foot-plus,
39:04is it something that a team needs?
39:08Yes, sometimes it's crazy, I'm going to tell you,
39:11because I'm in the corridors or in the training ground just walking,
39:16and back in my old club I used to be one of the tallest,
39:19so everybody was smaller than me,
39:22and now I look around and everybody is taller than me,
39:24so we look like a basketball team now.
39:28But football now has just changed,
39:32and now you need a strong team, physicality is key,
39:37we need to be the most complete team possible,
39:40you need the physical aspect, the technical aspect,
39:43the tactical one,
39:45you need to be a total team if you want to achieve big things,
39:48as we do.
39:50So it's not only about being tall and big,
39:53it's always, as I said before, the mentality,
39:56if you're big but you don't go with 100% of your intention to win the ball,
40:01it's just nothing.
40:03So the main thing is the mentality, and I think we have that.
40:07Just with that size you can win set-pieces and score from set-pieces,
40:13and you must have seen that in training already,
40:15just how good is Arsenal's team in terms of,
40:18even in training, scoring from set-pieces,
40:20and how much work goes into it that we've seen already?
40:23Into set-pieces or in general?
40:25Set-pieces, of course.
40:27Yeah, it's something that, as I said before,
40:31football is evolving,
40:33and set-pieces is something that is evolving too.
40:36Everybody is paying a lot of attention to set-pieces
40:40because it's a big part of the game,
40:43and you can win or lose a lot of games because of that.
40:47Here we try to train it a lot,
40:49we have the good staff members,
40:52we have the good players to do that,
40:54the physical advantage is something that,
40:58if you try to get 100% out of it,
41:02you can win a lot of games.
41:05Last two, one with Art and then Kaya.
41:07Hi, Miquel.
41:08I was just going to ask about your time with Martin Elgar,
41:11and what you remember of the young man that you were with.
41:16Did you envisage him becoming a captain for a team like Arsenal,
41:21and also having you guys play together?
41:26It has been a long journey for him and for me,
41:30that finishes now playing together again.
41:33We played, I don't even know, maybe four, five, six years ago,
41:38and I saw him as this really talented kid
41:42that was just magic on the number 10 position.
41:47He made my job really easy
41:49because he's the one who moves really good on the pockets,
41:54and he turns, he plays quick.
41:57Me, as a number eight, back in the day,
42:00I used to find him a lot and he used to make my passes better.
42:05So, yeah, it's amazing how he has evolved, how he has developed.
42:11Now he's a grown man, he's now the captain, the leader of this club,
42:15and you can see the maturity in his voice, in his acts,
42:21how he talks to people, how he behaves on the pitch.
42:27It's just great to be back with him again,
42:30and hopefully we can keep building up that relationship,
42:33that connection that we had.
42:35And lastly, with Kaya.
42:37Obviously, you had to wait a while for vacation to let you off today.
42:40It feels like maybe that's a bit of a theme in your career,
42:43in the sense that you went to Germany and Spain early on,
42:45you had to maybe wait to get your chances in a new club,
42:48and then, obviously, that took a little while,
42:50and then in the summer it took ages for this move to be completed.
42:53Do you think that's made you more hungry?
42:56I don't think it has made me more hungry,
43:03because I've always had that hunger to achieve goals, to win,
43:10or not to lose, call it whatever, I'm not really a bad loser,
43:15I don't like losing at anything, so the hunger has always been there.
43:20And now I'm surrounded by people that have the same hunger,
43:24that want to win at all costs,
43:27that want to not only win but do it in the best way possible.
43:32That's something that motivates me,
43:35that's something that gives me the belief that we can do it,
43:41we can win big things.
43:45There's a long way to go still,
43:47but I think we have the capacities, we have the players, the mentality,
43:53and I'm really happy to be around people that feel the same way as I do.
43:57Cool, we'll end it there. Thanks, guys.
44:01I was going to say, you're in good form, lad.
44:03No, I was getting tired at the end, my brain wasn't working anymore.
44:07Score that will confirm, it's way better than my Spanish.
44:09It's way better.
44:11Thank you, guys.
44:12Thank you, guys.