Here is every word Mikel Arteta just said in Prague ahead of Arsenal's Champions League group phase clash against Slavia, who the Gunners beat 3-0 in this same fixture this time last year
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta has been addressing the media after Arsenal against Slavia Prague
View 3 Images
Mikel Arteta has just been speaking to the media in Prague ahead of Arsenal's Champions League group phase fixture against Slavia.
The Spaniard spoke eloquently on a number of topics including the tragic passing of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, William Saliba's return and Max Dowman's chance to impress on the same ground he made competition history last season.
Here is every word Arteta said in Czechia.
Make sure you never miss the latest Arsenal news and opinion by making Football London one of your Google preferred sources
Your reaction to the sad news from Spain regarding Jesus de Miguel?
"Absolutely heartbreaking, the action, the incident, what happened to see a colleague lose his life in such a manner, it's beyond any words that I can put to it. So, on behalf of everybody at the club, we want to send our condolences to the families of Jesus de Miguel, his loved ones, and to Tenerife as well, because it's been a really difficult day."
Get More of Our News on Google
Set Football London as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.
Google Preferred Source Badge
Google Preferred Source Badge
Saliba back? Seems to be in a good place? Is he ready?
"Yes, he's in a really good place. I think the process and the timings and the manner that he's been dealing with, and especially the feelings that he's been having along the way, have been very, very positive. So, his evolution has been as expected, which is not always the case. He feels very comfortable, he played 45 minutes in closed doors last week, and he feels ready to go to where he is right now. It's a matter of what the team needs."
Zubimendi, hasn't played as much as he'd like?
"He's a very important player for us. He's been a bit unlucky with what happened with the ankle, with the nose afterwards. He had some minutes as well, and we have options in midfield. Like anybody else, everybody has to get ready, everybody's going to have the chances to play. It's about performing and helping the team to win football matches, but his energy, his application, his will to help is over there. That's unquestionable, and he's an unbelievable player for us."
Saliba, how's he feeling? Itching to play?
"I think he's very desperate and very loved, because William is somebody that is very admired and very liked around the team. Every time he's around, he creates something special. That's William, that's his nature. He's around the team now, and we need to give him the right moment, the right amount of minutes, and hopefully that's going to be very soon."
It's a delicate injury?
"Yes, but now you are in or not. Now he's in, and he's in like anybody else. All the preparation has been done to measure all the loads and all the steps that he had to do to minimise that risk. Now he's in a really good place, he's built the capacity that we needed, and now it's about giving him minutes. He's a centre-back, and when that's the case, it's not like an attacking midfielder or a nine that you can change. A centre-back normally has to be able to play 90 minutes, and that's why all the preparation that we've done to build him."
Max Dowman, suspended domestically, youngest CL player here, ready to start?
"Well, it's another year in his career, and he's shown that every time he's played with us, he has a lot to offer. So that would be now a matter of a choice from my side to pick him."
Tricky night at Fleetwood, how has his response been?
"That's a chapter that is gone. It's a moment of learning from all of us, and we move on. You learn from the not-so-good ones, you have to make sure you learn from the great ones as well. And he's been engaged. When you see the kids and today we spent some time together, talking about things in training, he's always super positive. When you're 16 you have a different way of looking at things and treating things, and that's what he brings to the team as well."
Two Spanish World Cup winners who are not always in your squad? How tough is that?
"They are playing a pivotal role, so before we don't know the players that are starting, obviously that's something else. Mikel has started some games already, some important games, and he's coming from a World Cup, a very successful World Cup. We know the value of the players that we have in the squad. They need to feel important. I do think that this is very important, and we have to make sure they continue like that, because if they have that spirit and that belief within themselves every time they play, they will make things happen for the team to win the game."
Mikel Merino celebrates scoring for Arsenal
Mikel Merino scored twice against Slavia Prague last season(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Is that positive attitude and experience a great benefit for the squad?
"Yes, and accepting the role on the day, and everybody wants to start games, but I think this season and last season we have experienced some incredible moments by the players that have come in, and that's going to be quite important, especially when you play every 72 hours."
No surgery for Saliba?
"That's more for a specialist than to me, but they looked at every option. They got some of the best leading people in the world with the injury that he had, and at the end they decided that the conservative way was the best route for him, especially with the history that William had. Everything has been assessed every week, every month with all of them, and the progress has been so good to get to the point where he's now fit and available to play.
How's your relationship with him changed down the years?
"I think we always had a really honest relationship, I would say. Probably better now because he's played a lot, we've been together and have success together, and obviously that creates a bond between two people. While he's been away, I think we made sure that he had some time off as well. It's been an extremely demanding schedule for him in the last few years. Then he put in an incredible effort and amount of hours to get back. That's how Will is, he does it in silence, he does his own thing, and every time he's in and around the team, he's helped to maintain and improve the energy of the team."
How are you going to fit Saliba, Konsa and Gabriel?
"So far we haven't had that luxury, I wouldn't call it a problem. We can talk about problems that are very different to that one. So the moment that they are fit and available, we're going to have opportunities as well to give players or to load the players and to manage the congestion of the players in a much better way than we've actually done it. Ezri can play as a full-back, I think his main position is as a centre-back, he can play right or left, Will is on the same with the national team or here at Arsenal. That's going to be something really positive for the team."
William Saliba
William Saliba is available for Arsenal again(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
View 3 Images
Just on Max, the situation has moved on now, have any of your players taken it upon themselves to lift him up?
"Yeah, but I think we've all done that because that's the way you feel about somebody. But not because he had any guilt or anything, it's because he's something human. When somebody feels sad or vulnerable in a moment, what do you do? You just want to help him. I know the players are extremely conscious of that. Not only for his age, it's for the way Max is and the way he treats people. You just want to look after that kind of people and the team has been very close to him."
Very honest last week regarding Max, do you then have to sit down with him and then explain to him privately it was for his own good?
"I sit down with him and I just say, have you seen my press conference? What do you think? Just honest with him. He's public so we just have this kind of relationship. I think it's the way it should be and if he thinks something different he needs to tell me. That's the relationship we try to build with our players. He's in a good place and that at the end is going to come out as a critical point in his career where he needs to learn about something that is going to be happening a few times every game for him. This is not something that's going to happen maybe once or twice a season, three or four times per game. Probably he's going to have to go through this kind of moment and he needs to master that because it's part of his game."
Any danger refs will now go other way and give loads of penalties and free-kicks for shirt pulls after Sunday?
"Yeah, I have a lot of clips about shirts pull and grabs. I have a massive library that we can talk about. We're talking about one in particular. I have a massive library that we can throw there to remind everybody what every team is going through."
Beat Slavia last year?
"Yeah, I watch it back twice. It's tough because it's a really good team, extremely well coached. Obviously they've been almost 10 years together now. Really, really competitive team, great mindset. So clear principles and concepts that they want to apply and the way they navigate you through the game. So we know it's going to be a really difficult game."
After Anfield display, pundits saying Dec is best midfielder in England?
"It's not for me to get into that debate. I love our players and Mikel is one of them, a super important player. He's having an immense impact in the team and he needs to continue to do that because we're in October and we have a tough match."
Article continues below
Managed against Slavia boss three times, not uncommon to meet him, what do you think of his work here?
"He's ahead of me because it's been 10 years now, so it's a long time. That tells you the quality of the person because to stay for 10 years somewhere you need to do a lot of things right. I think what he's done is remarkable. So congratulations to him. Tomorrow we will face each other and I know it's going to be a difficult one."