Mikel Arteta was back in front of the media at the Sobha Realty Training Centre for his pre-Sunderland press conference on Friday.
Our manager was asked to provide the latest team news and share his thoughts on the possibility of extending our lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points.
Here’s everything he had to say on the following subjects…
on if we’ll get revenge against Sunderland tomorrow:
Another opportunity to win, to be better than the opposition and earn the right to win the game, that’s it.
on going nine points clear on Saturday if we do win:
The statement is that we do what we have to do, and it’s going to be a really tough match. I think they have been on an incredible run all season, and what they’ve been doing, so we know the complexity of the match.
on Liam Rosenior’s comments about our staff pre-match:
I don’t know, it’s his opinion and obviously we respect everybody. At any point, if one of the staff members went through that, we apologise and that’s it. It’s very common in football, especially with the keepers because they have to kick long balls and all that stuff, so nothing there to comment.
on Saka’s hip:
His hip is getting much better, so yes, hopefully very soon he will be with us. Very soon, very soon.
on Odegaard and Timber:
Martin again is getting better, it will be a matter of days we believe, and Jurrien’s fine.
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on the vibe around the place after beating Chelsea:
The energy that winning a big tie against a great Chelsea side brings and the fact that you’ll install yourself in Wembley in a couple of weeks, obviously it’s exciting, it’s what we want. You could feel the excitement around our supporters as well which is great, so yes, on to the next one now.
on Dowman’s availability:
Max hasn’t trained with us yet, so it will be still a few weeks I think, but it’s getting better yes.
on Oxlade-Chamberlain training with us
He’s been brilliant, it’s been great to share some time with him, his experiences. Obviously we played together as well, so some great memories, so he’s been really helpful to us. Hopefully we can help him and support him in that tough period for him and wish him all the very best whatever he decides to do.
on if there are any other injury concerns:
No.
on our 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light in November:
They are extremely competitive, really well coached, they have very good individuals, a very clear identity of what they want to do, where they want to take the game, and they are very good at it. You could obviously see the result they had against the top side, so we know what to expect but we need to deliver that tomorrow.
on how much we’ll miss Merino:
It’s a big blow. Mikel offers something unique in the team but he’s going to be out for months unfortunately with a very rare injury, so we need to support him, make sure that he’s very connected with the team because he can still add a lot of value to the players and the staff and keep him around.
on what atmosphere he’s hoping for at Emirates Stadium:
The best. Tomorrow, 2.30pm, the best atmosphere that we’ve seen, everybody ready for 3pm to exploit, that’s what we want. We’re starting to get into a really crucial part of the season, and we know what every game means, and we need to get into the stadium with that energy, all of us.
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on the priority with us fighting on four fronts:
Tomorrow, that’s the priority and the only priority and the only focus that we have to put all our energy and commitment into. We will do that tomorrow and try to earn the right to win the game.
on winning games in the right way:
That’s what we try to prepare every week, and every opponent is different and brings very difficult challenges and we need to face them. We’ve been doing that for a lot of months now and that’s the thing that we have to continue to do and play with that hunger and that commitment every single game because if we do that, we have a big chance to win a lot of games.
on if Raya has been the most pivotal player:
When we are where we are, it’s because individuals are doing so well and certainly David has been immense for us since he joined. This season again, I think he’s gone to a different level, very stable, really, really consistent and he’s a key player for us.
on Havertz in the last couple of games:
We are really happy to have him. Again, he offers something very different to the team and to be able to mix it up and for him to show the level that he’s shown immediately after such a long injury is very impressive.
on how important it is for managers to stay calm while using the right body language:
I don’t know, sometimes it’s difficult because we cannot be aware constantly about everything. We are human beings and we react to things so I think it’s normal to try to give the right example always and if that’s the intention, that’s okay.
on if an increase in shots from outside the box is a response to how teams have started to play recently:
Yes, the more density there is inside the box and the more contact there is, the more difficult it is to score goals, especially in open play so that’s clear. So we have to find other ways and I’m not surprised that that number is increasing, the quality of the players as well is increasing. It happened in basketball especially from twos to threes and the stats were incredibly high. It’s not that easy here to score because of the distance and the crowd that is around the goal, but it’s another weapon to have.
on if he would take as many shots from distance as he used to with the influence of xG on today’s game:
I don’t think you can be thinking about that. If you are in the right position with the right timing, the right angles in front of you, you have to take the shot. The objective has to be to score. If you have somebody else free next to you, probably pass it depending on who it is, especially. But this is football, you have to make decisions in milliseconds and you cannot be thinking about: ‘okay, if they have 0.1 more xG chance to score for me…’ I cannot see that happening.
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on the importance of Gabriel Heinze this season:
Right from the beginning we knew that Gabriel was going to bring something very different to the coaching staff, the staff and the players and with games that we have at the club. He’s someone who has done it in various countries, and obviously, I have a really personal relationship with him, so I knew how he was going to fit in with his character within the team. So I’m very happy that the players are enjoying his company.
on the messages that Heinze has been able to pass on:
A different experience because when you have lived something you can talk and the detail there is incredible. The things that have been helpful, the things that have not been so helpful and try to support the players. He’s got a big role in that.
on if it’s helpful for players to hear it from someone who has achieved what he has:
I think the players have huge respect for all the members of the staff and everybody is unique with their experiences because they’ve been with great managers as well and they have one thing. So everybody’s opinion is very valuable. How you transmit it and how you connect with the players is probably the most important thing.
on if this is the best group he’s ever worked with:
I don’t like comparing. It’s an amazing group obviously and they’re doing an incredible job so far. We’re all very excited, and I’m very privileged to have each other, and we’re going to enjoy it until the end of the season.
on how to deal with the noise from outside the club about our chances:
We don’t have much time [to focus on it]. We are so busy with games, training sessions, and planning that we are a bit far from that. But it’s normal, and I think it’s something very positive, whether it’s positive feedback or not. I think we are here to learn and improve and the fact that we are there is the most important thing at the end.
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on how he knows that there’s been a positive reaction in Europe to how we’re playing:
We have a lot of people coming here, and when I was in other clubs I would like to work with other people. I love having coaches here from different sports, from different countries as well. Some of them are not working that I admire and we can get so much from them.
on if we will change our warm-ups based on Rosenior’s comments:
I already replied to two questions on that, I think that’s enough.
on when we start believing that this is going to be our year:
Before the pre-season had started. We start to prepare everything with the intention to be where we are and make sure the players are very convinced that we are going to achieve it and then go day by day, that’s it.
on Granit Xhaka’s return to the Premier League and impact at Sunderland:
The fact that he came back is always a possibility in football but he has spent quite a lot of time away from his family and it was a critical part of the decision that he made when he left us. About the impact, not at all [surprised] because I know his character. When you give him that role he grabs it with a lot of authenticity and in an incredible way and I’m very happy to see what he’s doing.
on if he could be a good coach in the future:
If he decides to do that, I think he’s going to be a great manager, yes.
on if it feels different to be chased for the title rather than doing the chasing:
It depends. I think we’ve been in both positions in recent years. At the end, you just have to focus on what you have to do, try to perform every single day, and in May, we will start to see what is better.
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