Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said that You can see his [Ruben Amorim's] fingerprints in what he wants to do straight away when asked about tomorrow nights opponent Manchester United
03/12/2024
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
03/12/2024
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
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00:00I'm afraid injury news to start with, I think it's 4 I need to ask about, Thomas Partey,
00:06can I do them all at the same time or all together?
00:09You can do them all together.
00:10OK, Thomas Partey, Mika Mourinho, Laurossi missed the game and Ricardo and Gabriel who
00:17came off.
00:18So we're going to have a meeting this afternoon, obviously we have done a training session,
00:22we have monitored and keep a few away from certain activities and after that meeting
00:29I will decide which one is fit and available and who starts.
00:33Has Gabriel's been on social media saying to the fans, see you on Wednesday?
00:37I know they all want to play, yes.
00:40But you don't want to read too much, is that it?
00:42No.
00:43The FA Cup draw, before we talk about United tomorrow night, United again, some teams...
00:49That's about draws that you can get anybody, so we play at home, it's going to be a big
00:55match again.
00:56It's a little bit the story of the last few seasons, that in the third or fourth round
01:00we are playing already big, big opponents, but if you want to do what we've done historically
01:05at this club, at the end you have to beat the big teams to win it.
01:08I think they've been warning the balls again, because it's City, Salford, Liverpool,
01:12Akeridge, Stanley, Chelsea, Morecambe, Tottenham, Tamworth.
01:16There's a bit of ball warning going on?
01:19It's what it is, we accept it.
01:22This is United, of course, before them, a little sample of that game in January, and
01:26Ruben Amorim, a nice result at home at the weekend.
01:31What do you expect from him and this United side?
01:34Well, obviously you can see his fingerprints in what he wants to do straight away, I think
01:39he's been very clear, he's been very successful with his sporting, it's remarkable after so
01:45many years, what we achieved there, especially in the way he did it and the way his teams
01:50have been playing.
01:52It brings energy to a new club, to the players, new ideas, and that's always something positive,
01:58but we have to focus on what we have to do.
02:01Revenge for the Europa League?
02:04No revenge, in football it's about another opportunity, and whether you have beat them
02:08or lose against any opponent at the end is another game, it's going to be very different
02:13to the past, we learned that, we played against Sporting a few days ago and it was very different
02:19to last two years ago, and that has no meaning.
02:23There was a bit of a blip last December in terms of results, and you had a little blip
02:29at the end of October and the beginning of November, but after that blip in December
02:33you went away and came back and had a tremendous end of the season.
02:37Have you got your blip out of the way early this season?
02:40We hope that we have, obviously the schedule and certain circumstances that we had, we
02:45have to adapt to that, we still competed really well but we didn't have the results
02:49consistently that we wanted.
02:50We are in a good run, we have good momentum again now and we have a big, beautiful match
02:56tomorrow night.
02:57A couple of questions about Jorginho, who has given interviews saying that Pep Guardiola
03:02carries on the way he is, but the tweak here and there will be Balaguer compared to a potential
03:07winner one day?
03:10Well, they train with him every day, they are in the dressing room with him, so for
03:14a player, for a team-mate to have these kind of words, it's always really positive.
03:19That shows you how much they believe in him and the potential that is in him.
03:24Do you know what they call him, a new nickname they've got for him around the training ground
03:28that Jorginho will be on?
03:29To be?
03:31A pseudo.
03:33Apparently that's Portuguese-Brazilian for big feet.
03:37Yeah, I heard that a few times, but to be fair, B has got a few.
03:43That's the Brazilian group I think.
03:52In the last week, 13 goals in three games home and away, you've been outstanding.
03:58And you got this result despite, again, missing key players.
04:01What do you think led to those performances?
04:05Well, that everybody feels important.
04:07We've been in this situation almost from the start of the season.
04:11We always talk about the squad, the importance of everybody feeling important and the quality
04:16that we have within that.
04:18We're going to have to continue to adapt to that because with the schedule that we have
04:22every three days, games in March, it's going to happen.
04:26So, very pleased that the team reacts, the team plays in the way that it's been playing
04:30and to win the games that we have done in a really convincing way is always very positive.
04:35Can you recall working with a player like him at City?
04:41That was out for a couple of months and he came back and looked so sharp.
04:46I don't know.
04:47I would have to think about it, but honestly, it doesn't surprise me because the way he
04:51looks after himself, the way he was talking, the way he trained, the way he looked a week
04:56or two before he already joined the team, he was really sharp.
05:00The team has a huge confidence and trust in him, so that has a big impact as well on how
05:05much they rely on him.
05:07You recently joined United in his late 30s.
05:11Five years ago, you joined the Arsenal in your late 30s.
05:14I'm not going to ask you what's the best advice you can give Ruben, but from your own
05:18perspective, what have you learned as a young manager in this big orchestra?
05:23How unpredictable this job is because I jumped into a new job in the middle of the season
05:28in very special circumstances, socially, especially at the football club.
05:33And then we got hit by COVID.
05:35So you can plan whatever you want, but at the end football takes you in a direction
05:39that you can never imagine and you have to deal with things to that.
05:42So take it as it comes, face it and go for it.
05:48Tomorrow will be the 500th game at the Emirates Stadium.
05:51You've played 75 games, you've managed 120 so far.
05:56What have been your personal highlights?
06:00The first one, my debut probably against Swansea, and just realising how beautiful
06:05it is to play for this football club in such a beautiful stadium.
06:09And then as well a little bit the transformation in atmosphere and how incredible we all feel
06:15about playing at home in front of our crowd and the energy that they provide, which is
06:20something that I think is exceptional.
06:23How different do you think it is from when you were playing to now?
06:27It feels different probably because as well you are not on the pitch, you are on the sidelines
06:32and it's different.
06:33But everybody talks about it, you have an experience and atmosphere like this at home
06:37and it makes a huge difference.
06:39And tomorrow is exactly what we need, that hyper energy, everybody on it, playing every
06:45single ball with us, and the team is going to respond to that.
06:49Can I just ask you on Bukayo, I think it's only Salah who has been involved in more Premier
06:55League goals this season.
06:57Have you noticed a shift in his output in terms of goals and assists and what do you
07:01think that's down to this season?
07:03In terms of the numbers, yes, but we always see a shift on Bukayo every single year.
07:08He is providing something else, he is adding things to his game, he is more and more consistent.
07:15And as you mentioned now, obviously his numbers in terms of impact in goals and assists is
07:21incredible at this stage of the season.
07:23He can only improve, he can only get better, he's got the right players around him as well
07:27to continue to do so, and especially because he wants more.
07:31He spoke about when he grew up he idolised Cristiano Ronaldo.
07:35Do you think those sort of numbers that Ronaldo produces seem quite remarkable?
07:39Bukayo should look to try and reach those sort of numbers.
07:42He is always good, you know.
07:44And probably the way Cristiano started his career and when he joined Manchester United
07:50nobody probably expected in the first few seasons to be able to do that.
07:53But again it was about his mentality, his work ethic, how he developed his skill, his
07:58chemistry with his team.
08:00And to play in a team that has the capacity as well to be dominant is very, very important.
08:05I think he's got that context and he's aiming for that.
08:09I think it's a positive thing.
08:12Hi, I just wanted to ask you about Jorginho.
08:14Because in the first part of the season it felt like he didn't have that many opportunities
08:18in the Premier League anyway.
08:20But he's come in the last few games, played against Forest in West Ham, made a really
08:24important contribution.
08:25How impressed have you been with his ability to step in and make a difference?
08:29That's his quality.
08:30I think I always mention that his biggest quality is the capacity that he has to make
08:35the others better.
08:37And last season it was the same.
08:39At the start there are less games, you don't play that many midweeks and he had less time
08:43to play.
08:44I always tell him, be ready because it's going to come the time that we need it.
08:47And it's not going to be any...
08:49In one week you're going to play.
08:51It's going to be you have to play now or you're going to play tomorrow.
08:54And the way he prepares is top.
08:56So when he needs to play he's always ready.
08:58And he spoke this week about doing his coaching badges here at Arsenal.
09:02When you see him on the touchline sometimes it feels like you've got an additional member
09:06of staff.
09:07Is that his role with the group?
09:08That was my feeling when he was already at Napoli.
09:13And the first time I scouted him to say there's a coach here for sure.
09:18And yeah, he's got that will.
09:20He's been doing the courses now for a period of time with all the players as well.
09:25And I'm sure he will prepare and he will be very good.
09:29James, ESPN.
09:30You mentioned earlier about the transformation of the atmosphere in the Emirates.
09:34You said back in January that you felt we could make it even more hostile.
09:38Do you feel you've done that in the course of this year?
09:40Yeah, in certain moments, yeah.
09:42But there is still a lot of things that we can do.
09:45And we can still improve.
09:47And we can do it as a team as well.
09:49To promote that and how we connect with them.
09:52There's a lot of things and we're always discussing about that.
09:55Because it's changing.
09:56Criteria is changing.
09:57The age of certain attendance at the Emirates is changing.
10:02And we have to continuously evolve to that to get the best possible atmosphere
10:06and experience for our supporters.
10:08Can you give us an idea of a couple of things that you can do?
10:11Kate is there.
10:12She can help you on that one.
10:17But it's not really my job to talk about these things.
10:20I can do a lot of things.
10:21I can do a lot of things.
10:22But I need a great team behind me to do that.
10:25The owners have said that there's some conversations
10:28about potentially expanding the stadium.
10:30Is that presumably something you'd like to see more fans doing?
10:33Well, I don't know.
10:34Obviously, that's a club vision and a strategy.
10:36And the moment that we are ready to do anything like that,
10:40I'm sure that the club will announce it.
10:42Kyle.
10:43Hi.
10:44It's got another goal from a set-piece at the weekend.
10:46It feels like we've always asked about if they own that every single week.
10:50We've all made that joke at some point, individually.
10:52I just wanted to know, what's he like as a guy?
10:54Because we never really hear from him.
10:56He seems very lively on the touchline.
10:59I'm wondering, is he like that at the training ground?
11:01Is he a bit more reserved?
11:02What's he like?
11:03Yeah, a very special person.
11:04Obviously, someone very, very close to me.
11:06I go to work with him at City when I thought
11:12that there was a big room for improvement in that department.
11:14And I contacted him and I suggested to Pep
11:18to come and help us.
11:20And since then, obviously, we've been extremely close.
11:22We share a very clear vision of how we want to put everything together.
11:28It's just not about open play or set-pieces.
11:30How everything is connected, aligned, and can work efficiently in our team.
11:34And there are a lot of many other people that put a big effort
11:37and thoughts and hours into that.
11:40But for sure, he's someone that is very, very important for the team.
11:44You say it's all connected.
11:46Back in Southampton, when you were playing,
11:48it seemed to be that 15 minutes at the end of every training session
11:50was set-pieces.
11:52And Moxhaw's players are quite bored and they didn't like it.
11:54I wonder, is that how you deal?
11:56Do you mix it up?
11:57I don't believe in that.
11:58How do you do it?
12:00It's all connected.
12:01So you have to train it all connected.
12:03It's not sequences of play that are very far apart.
12:07And we work in a way that is actually very close to the game.
12:13Does that empower the players so that when they're on the pitch
12:16in real-game situations, they can then make their own decisions?
12:19They can say, West Ham are defending in this way,
12:21we can play this tactic?
12:23Yeah, well, it's the defensive part as well.
12:25And why you have to defend set-pieces
12:27and when you have to defend a set-piece,
12:29sometimes it's too late.
12:30What actually happened before that,
12:32to be yourself in that position?
12:34Or how can you be, in the other way,
12:36in a better position to do that?
12:38That's always something that we are discussing.
12:41OK, finally in the live section, we'll go to Phil from PA.
12:43Hi, Mika.
12:44United are 15 points off the top,
12:46but only six points behind you guys in second place.
12:49Do you think that somehow they'll be able to put themselves
12:52in that top four, should that be their ambition this year?
12:56Sorry, sorry?
12:57United, do you think they're making somehow...
13:02I don't know, we're still very early in the season.
13:04Any team that has got the capacity to put five, six wins in a row
13:10is going to be up there because it's so tough.
13:12And you see every week how all the teams are struggling
13:16to maintain winning, winning and winning.
13:19So I think anything is possible.
13:21In terms of City, obviously they lost again on Sunday.
13:24Is this the most vulnerable you've seen
13:26since you've been in charge of Chelsea?
13:29Again, if there is a team that has the capacity
13:31to turn this around and start to win, win, win and win,
13:34don't rule them out because you know how much quality
13:37and the goals that they have.