Here is every word Mikel Arteta said ahead of the FA Community Shield clash between Arsenal and Manchester City
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference before Man City clash
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference before Man City clash(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
View Image
Mikel Arteta faced the press ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City in the FA Community Shield in Cardiff. The Gunners’ head coach will face a new opponent in Enzo Maresca who has succeeded Pep Guardiola in the role.
Arteta gave his thoughts on the Italian and also reflected on the time that Guardiola spent rivalling him for titles. He will go into the game with nearly his full squad available and provided updates on the absences of William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.
There was also a lot of talks about transfers and how the window has shaped up, evolved and moved in certain ways. After just three outfield additions, there remains questions on what still needs to be done.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Here is every word the manager said:
Which one of your two least favourite subjects shall we start with? Chance spurs or injuries?
Up to you, you can do it.
Let's start with injuries. I guess not really a case of injuries, more team news. The three lads who were missing on Wednesday were back from the World Cup later. Are they all available?
Yeah, they will be available. They trained with us today, they will train tomorrow and if they are in the condition that we expect them to be, they will be involved.
Just to clarify, that's Declan, Bukayo and Zubi?
That’s correct.
And in terms of injuries, can we get an update again on Jurrien Timber and William Saliba?
Jurrien is progressing really well, he's on the pitch. We are ramping up now certain actions and especially the volume and the load. And I think he's in a good trajectory but there's still a few weeks to go and with Willy, we all know it's a long-term injury.
So Timber, it could be before the international break maybe?
I don't know, we have to wait and see. He needs to start to train with the group in the next week or so hopefully and then see how he progresses from there. It's been a long-term issue right now and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one. He feels right to do that and it's such an important thing for us.
So, over two weeks in the transfer window left, that's 18 and a half days, 532 hours, 31,920 minutes, 1.9 million seconds.
How many milliseconds?
1.9 million seconds, well 1.8 now.
It's a very exciting part of the season as well. When a lot of things happen I think it creates excitement, there's an opportunity as well to evolve. There is a good way as well to understand what every player is feeling.
I think we are trying the maximum that we can to end up in 14 days, 13 days in the best possible condition to compete for every possible competition.
That word evolve means potentially players out and potentially players in as well?
It's always the case, there's an opportunity to go both ways and we'll have to see how the market responds and what we as a club can do.
I don't mention names because you never comment on names but the acceptance of that I guess just quickly is because of the injuries to Saliba and Timber that we've spoken about, that area of the pitch. So, Quansah with a Q and Konsa with a K, there's lots of talk about those two.
I'm not going to talk about any individuals, obviously what I can tell you is the ambition of the club. It's big that we want to improve the squad, we want to evolve the squad in order to achieve that. We have obviously detected some areas that they can be strengthened and that's what we are trying to do.
We're here for the Community Shield, so at last we get to a couple of questions on the Community Shield. I know it's been a good tournament for you in your Arsenal days, winning four times as a player and a head coach. Make it five on Sunday?
That's what we're going to try to do. We're going to have a really strong opponent but we are really excited to start the season, to start with the first trophy as well. I sense a really good energy around the place, all the internationals are back and we can't wait to start competing.
I don't know whether you saw the interview that Gyokeres gave last weekend where he was asked whether it was a friendly against Manchester City. He went, ‘Manchester City? Friendly?’ That's the kind of attitude you want from your players I guess.
Well it is because it's a trophy that we can have because we earned it last year by winning the Premier League obviously and you can tell how hungry the players are, which is a good sign.
You spoke there about the Community Shield, what it means to players back, new feeling, is this a marker now for the campaign to come?
That's what we want and adapting to the circumstances and the kind of preparation that we have. I said it the other day, I love the way the players have come back, most of them earlier than expected, really fit we’ve done all the testing and they all seem in great condition. The moment they start to look at each other, look at the squad that we have and what we are building is a lot of excitement around that.
Because of the different returns and the injuries you're dealing with as well, how long will it be until you reckon we'll see the best version of Arsenal?
The best version has to be on Sunday and that's the intention, that we have the best performance and the best way to start the season obviously by lifting the first trophy. That's the way we have prepared the season on day one, be at our maximum level because that's the standards for us.
I know there's a lot of focus because the transfer window on players coming in but do you have to have players to go out because of the size of the squad?
Well, we have certain possibilities that we can explore if the right possibilities come across. So far, with the numbers that we've had, we've been happy but obviously we need to accept that there are certain players that probably have to move.
On Rice and Saka, how much are they still managing the issues they had at the end of last season and over the summer?
We haven't noticed anything, obviously they have individual plans through the time that they have with the national team. They've been trying to evolve those issues and they have improved. In the rest period that they have, they've both had specific programmes for themselves. They've been doing those and so far over the last two or three days it was really good.
On Ethan, you said on Wednesday night you've seen a difference in him this summer through pre-season. Has that changed your thinking in what your plans are for him this season?
I don't know on the plans but certainly it opens your eyes in terms of how much a young player can evolve in such a short period. And what experiences are brought with certain difficulties and challenges, what you can really get out of that. I think he's done it in a brilliant way.
It's unquestionable the talent, the desire, the love and the passion he has for the game. It's something that I've always loved about Ethan. I think he's had some great games and he's shown everybody that he has the ability to be here.
Do you want him to be at the club beyond the end of the transfer window?
I want him to be at the club but something is in the medium-long term what is best for the player as well. Ethan needs to play football and if he stays here it’s because we can guarantee that he can have those minutes. Otherwise it's just something that is not good for anybody I think.
Odegaard had a very interrupted last season with injuries and ten issues there as well. He seemed very sharp in pre-season, are you expecting big things from him?
I think those two cases, him and Bukayo as well, I see something else. Obviously they had some issues last year and they couldn't have the consistency levels that they know they can bring to the team. So there is a big margin and a big gap there that I think the team is going to benefit from because I can see the desire in them.
And on the transfer window we know that you've mentioned before that you plan these things very far in advance, months in advance. But has it taken you by surprise how expensive some deals are? We've seen already four players, 100 million plus. Has that taken you by surprise?
Yes, it has. I wouldn't bet on that to be fair. But that's the market. There are clubs that are happy to invest or they believe that the valuations of those players are that.
And that's fair. At the end the value of the player is what somebody can pay for you and they've done it. So that's the value and it's the right one because someone is happy to sell and someone is happy to buy.
And in the middle a player is happy to move from one club to the other. So I think that's fair.
Get YOUR Arsenal Newsletter
All the best news, features, updates and analysis from Tom Canton and more straight to your Inbox!
Yours in just two simple steps.
Head THIS WAY
Enter your email and hit Subscribe.
There was a point last season where you talked about how quickly football evolves. You talked about the Newcastle and Barcelona Champions League game. And I was just wondering, coming into this season, have you already seen stuff that's different to last year or do you expect that to come?
Last year we saw another one. There is the tie against PSG and Bayern Munich which was something probably that we haven't witnessed before as well. Let's see.
The World Cup brought some very different stuff. I think it's very different, international football, to anything related to the Premier League. But we will wait and see.
I'm sure there will be surprises and everybody will have to adapt quickly to certain changes. I think the rules are going to be different as well. So when the rules change, everything changes and the game evolves. So we will see a change there as well for sure.
And in terms of how your Arsenal team evolves after the Champions League final, you were talking about individual quality and the need for that. Is that something you see as a big shift or more of a tweak?
Yeah, there is room there for sure. But with the players that we have with ourselves, I think elevating the quality of the players that we have with us and elevating the individual performance has to be the main focus. And when we cannot do that for whatever reason, then we need to think about recruiting.
It's the first City game obviously without Pep Guardiola. Last season you were a bit reluctant to talk about it until it was confirmed. So now he has gone. Can we just ask for your reflections on his exit?
Probably I'm going to fall short on the way I can praise what he's done. First of all for the Premier League, I think for the country, I think the way he has opened a different way of understanding the game. Here, I think he has escalated the Premier League to a different level.
I think he has brought different standards to something that we haven't witnessed before. I was very lucky to be part of that for four years and understand and witness how it's done daily. I think it's remarkable and unique.
I would say that he's the best coach in the history of football. For many reasons, he's done it in different countries, in different ways. But in a really sustainable and consistent way, which is the hardest thing to do.
So I think he will be missed in the Premier League. I don't know if coaches are going to miss him so much because it's so difficult to play against him and to compete in the manner that he does with his teams. But I think a word of gratitude, first of all personally, for the time that I had with him.
It was incredible. And then because I think he has elevated all the coaches and teams to think and to work in different ways. And that has made all of us better.
So it's been a pleasure. And now it's Enzo, which is as good as him. Because I know him well and he will provide something different to the club.
You were obviously close to Pep. Did you know he was going to leave before it was made public?
100% no but I had some feeling and some understanding that this could be the case. But as well because you could sense it in the last year that it was close, a situation like this happening. But with someone like him, he can wake up in the morning and still get so excited about what he sees around him. And carry on doing it for 10 years, which is I think nowadays something just incredible.
I just wondered how special it was then for you to actually win the Premier League while he was still here. While he was still your friend, still your rival.
Well, obviously one of the probably biggest challenges that I have faced in my career. Because I know the standards, I know that they have the background, they have the stability. They had the quality to go and do it again.
So it's been a real challenge. But as I said, I think I took it in a way that, okay, regardless of what happens, this is going to make us better. It's pushing boundaries time after time at every level and every department of the club to try to reach this level.
When I arrived here, I had a sense in terms of distance and years how far we were behind. Because I was there and I could witness the daily operation and the level. And to be able to win it in the time that we've done it, I think we should feel proud of it.
What role do you see Max Dowman having in the season? Will he have more of a senior role?
Well, he's 100% with us, that's for sure. He's done again all the pre-season, he's in our system on every effect. And then how much he will play, like any other player, same as him. He needs to earn it. If he earns it, he will play. If somebody else earns it, he won't play that much.
And with Myles Lewis-Skelly, what role do you see for him in the season? Will it be more in midfield or will it be again at left back?
Depends. Depends what happens with the squad. Depends how he trains. Depends on the position. A lot of factors, nothing else. There's a lot of players that can play in various positions. And there's a huge quality that we have in the squad.
I want to ask you about Enzo. You mentioned him before at home, and you know. How difficult do you think it's going to be for him to come after Pep?
Well, I don't know. I don't know the intricacies of that. What I know is that Enzo has the personality, the character, and especially the knowledge to have an unbelievable job there. That's why he's been selected. Because they could probably pick anybody. And they've gone for Enzo for the right reasons.
He has demonstrated that at every level. What’s he's done to the Champions League and what he's done, when he's been at Chelsea and now here. So I have no doubt that he will do a great job.
And what do you think of the squad you have right now? The season is starting. Are you happy with the level you guys are?
In terms of?
In terms of condition, putting together the right team at the right time.
Article continues below
I think we are in a really good place. I sense really good things. And we are still adapting. We still have a few days for the first trophy. Then the Premier League is going to start a few days later. And I think we haven't compromised anything. I think we have taken every situation with a lot of naturality, and we are here to try to get the team in the best possible condition.