- 2 years ago
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta previews his 200th game against Brentford and updates on the fitness of key players
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00:00 Sorry to be predictable but get a bit of team news if we can to start with. Martin Odegaard,
00:07 available?
00:08 Hopefully, yes. We have another training session today but he's been progressing well and hopefully
00:13 he will be available.
00:14 He picked up a concussion, is that right? Against Newcastle. So you've just been following
00:19 protocols?
00:20 Yes, because we didn't know how many days, it depends on certain things and at the end
00:24 he got more delay than we wanted but we have to protect the player.
00:29 Gabriel Jesus played for Brazil, obviously he wasn't ready for the game but is he now
00:34 available?
00:35 He's available. He played 96, 97 minutes in a really competitive match. As I said, another
00:43 session, they had a long flight and I have to see the condition of every single player
00:49 to make the final call in the line-up.
00:50 With Ben White, he trained away from the others yesterday in the gym, what about him?
00:55 Again, hopefully if he's able to train today he will be eligible to play but it's a question
01:01 mark to be resolved in the next few hours.
01:03 So they're all racing to be in contention?
01:05 Again, yes.
01:06 We do know, I guess we can assume, that Aaron Rumsdale will be starting goal. How is he
01:15 around the place when he knows for sure that he's going to be starting a Premier League
01:19 game? Do you see a difference in his mood?
01:22 No, I think every player is willing to play obviously and they're all excited to play
01:26 and when I play I think they are always expecting to play. Sometimes we disappoint the day before
01:32 or a few hours before the match but every player is willing to play.
01:38 If he has an amazing game, saves a couple of penalties, is involved in an assist, he's
01:44 still probably not going to play on Wednesday though, right?
01:47 Hopefully he doesn't need to stop two penalties and he does have an amazing game.
01:51 Jurgen Thunberg had a terrible start to the season, a dream move to Arsenal. Has he managed
02:01 to integrate into the club? How is he around the place?
02:05 Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. You talk to anybody in that building, everybody that
02:09 gets close to him, it's a really special character. We're really impressed when we sign him because
02:16 sometimes when you see the player live in your environment, training and playing, we
02:20 went 'wow, we have an incredible player'. But then that player had a big setback and
02:26 a really difficult moment to go through and he's been really special in the way he has
02:30 handled the situation. Really special.
02:32 It's been suggested to me, I'm not giving it away, that we might see him out on the
02:37 grass at some point soon.
02:39 Well I hope so. Doing what kind of activity, that's something very different. He's been
02:44 for a few walks as well on the field but that's still a bit far from competing but he's in
02:51 a good place.
02:52 The Anthony Gordon goal, have you managed to send your observations yet to the EFA?
03:01 Yes we have. We'll try to give our points and the reasons why and that's not a lot more
03:09 than I can comment on.
03:10 Are you happy with the way the process has been handled?
03:14 Yes, there is a process and when you get asked to give your observation and explain yourself,
03:20 you have to do it in the right way and we have the mechanism and the processes in place
03:25 to do that and let's see what happens.
03:27 It'll be your 200th game in all competitions as Arsenal manager tomorrow. I think you've
03:35 won more than any other manager in Arsenal history of those 200, including Arsene Wenger.
03:40 How does that make you feel?
03:42 Great, really proud to reach that number. In a big club it's always difficult and that
03:47 means you do have to win a lot of games and hopefully a lot more positive things will
03:53 come.
03:54 Another 200?
03:55 Or 300 or whatever. The most important win in our job is tomorrow. That's the only thing
04:01 that matters.
04:02 You seem to have more success than perhaps other Premier League clubs and managers. What
04:12 do you see that others don't when you go there?
04:15 It depends how you look at it because two years ago we had a really tough start to the
04:18 campaign. We learned from that. It's a really tough opponent, a really difficult place to
04:23 be. You look at the stats and as you said, all the clubs going there, they make it extremely
04:29 difficult. They are really effective, really well coached and it will be a tough, tough
04:34 match tomorrow.
04:35 I know you're telling me you're not bothered about the top of the table, but will you have
04:38 the Man City-Liverpool game maybe on in the morning? The team boss on the way over?
04:42 We'll watch the games, that's for sure, because we're interested in the league and be always
04:49 on top of everything. But we have to focus on us.
04:53 What have you managed to create at Brentford with the culture and the play-style?
05:03 With Thomas, with the coaching staff, with the club, for me it's one of the best run
05:11 clubs in the league. I've followed it for many, many years and the things that they
05:16 do, the structures that they have, the process that they have in place, the vision that they
05:22 have. It's incredible what they've done with the resources that they have. Huge credit
05:26 to them, not only to achieve and get to this level, but the way they maintain it as well
05:31 with so many changes and the environment that this league demands as well.
05:37 Are you going to contest the FA Charger?
05:46 We've been asked to give our observations, our opinion and to run through everything
05:54 that happened on the day and that's what we're going to do.
05:57 I know hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if you could turn the clock back, would you
06:01 say it all again?
06:04 That's not possible. In the game I give the line-up, then I don't win and I say,
06:08 'Would you do the same one?' Yeah, easy, innit? I hope we could do that and stop it
06:15 and rewind and say, 'Give the ball to him instead of him.' We cannot do that. Unfortunately,
06:19 things go really fast. You have to do that and that's it. You learn from everything,
06:24 that's for sure.
06:25 Tommy Assu has done really well this season, but there's a story linking him with a move
06:33 to Bayern Munich this week. What's the position at the club? Will he be staying?
06:40 I really want him to stay. I value the player a lot. I really like him. He's loved and respected
06:47 by everybody at the club. He's getting a lot of minutes now. He's getting his availability
06:51 to the level that we need for him to make an impact in the team. He will continue to
06:57 be with us.
06:58 Tomorrow's game is not the early game. Liverpool once again have to play early against Manchester
07:08 City. How much of an advantage after an international break does that give you? We often hear from
07:13 managers who play the early game, especially Jürgen Klopp, who will play a lot of them,
07:17 about how disadvantaged they are.
07:20 Obviously, if all the managers would like to play on Sunday, probably better than Saturday
07:25 or Monday if possible, especially the ones that we have a lot of internationals, they've
07:28 been flying around the world and they have played two games. But as well, we have certain
07:35 commitments and we don't have much to say in terms of the fixture list and we have to
07:40 adapt to it.
07:41 In terms of Aaron Ramsdale who will play tomorrow, a lot of people are saying that England, coming
07:46 up in the summer in the Euros, maybe he would look to move in January or to get more game
07:52 time. As a man-manager, how do you put your arm around someone who has gone from being
07:57 number one to number two and convincing him that he's needed and he still will be within
08:04 the plans of the national team by sticking with you?
08:07 My job is to try to help every single player in the best possible way every day to make
08:12 him better, to give him the best possible chance to fulfil the potential in their career
08:16 and get to the highest level as they possibly can, with no exception in any position or
08:22 any player.
08:23 Finally, an award this week for Edou, the best sporting director. I think it's fair
08:29 to say you've got the 700 games massively with his support behind you. Just explain
08:34 for us what he's done for you, how grateful you are to him?
08:39 Really grateful for him, for the club, for the set-up that we have and the enjoyment
08:44 that we have working together. I think he fully deserves it. I think he's been instrumental
08:48 in the way that we have changed and recruited in the last few years and hopefully we can
08:54 get awards in terms of titles now, which is the next step as well.
08:59 This week, you've given a 10-point deduction for the biggest punishment we've seen this
09:08 year in the Premier League. Just get your reaction to that news?
09:12 I feel very connected to the club. Very difficult moment. Obviously, it puts the club in a difficult
09:20 position but they've been in many difficult positions and they always find a way to get
09:25 out. If there is a quality that I think describes that club, it's the correct determination
09:34 and the fight. They will fight against anything and I wish them the best.
09:38 We've not seen anything like this in terms of punishments for financial reasons before.
09:44 Were you surprised by the scale of it and do you think this could maybe be a watershed
09:48 moment in terms of the Premier League?
09:50 I don't know. Obviously, the news took me by surprise and it's a big one in the middle
09:56 of the season. But I don't know the regulation, I don't know the whole story inside it and
10:01 difficult for me to comment.
10:02 We saw Howard Webb as well, jutting in to match and break. He spoke through the Newcastle
10:08 game and said that the process was correct and that he thought it was the right call.
10:12 We've seen you contesting now, the charge for your comments after the game. Are managers
10:17 being put in an unfair situation where you're punished for putting your side across? But
10:22 we've got officials now who can say that their decisions are actually correct.
10:28 I think it's good that we are communicating. I think we want to improve the game, all of
10:33 us. Referees, managers, official, owners, sporting directors, you guys. We all want
10:38 a better game, that's it. And to have a better game, we have to have freedom of speech, respectfully,
10:44 in a constructive way. But we have to promote that. If not, you don't get better, that's
10:49 for sure. And it's good that they are talking in front of the media and explaining the situation.
10:53 I think it brings clarity.
10:54 Are you expecting to learn your fate of your punishment before the Brentford game or do
11:01 you think it might be something that you find out after?
11:05 I don't think so. I think it will be after.
11:08 You spoke passionately before that Sanil game about your duty to speak out and be honest.
11:14 When you've been hit with a charge now, how much does that change how you're going to
11:17 speak in the future when, if you speak, you could get punished?
11:21 I'm going to speak. I think you have to be yourself. And as a leader, you have to be
11:27 authentic. You cannot be someone that you are not. And this is who I am. Here, when
11:32 I'm on the pitch, when I'm there. And I want to think that we have to talk to make things
11:39 better. We have meetings and I talk and I talk in a really straightforward way two days
11:45 before that meeting. Really straightforward about certain opinions I had in the face.
11:52 And I do the same there, I do here, I do there. I want to have to talk about myself and be
11:56 critical about myself and the best one to do it. And when I have to be very positive,
12:01 I have to be. And that's what people expect. At the end, we have a role, we have a responsibility
12:07 and we have to stand for our actions and the way we are.
12:11 With your 200th game tomorrow, if you could pick one as your favourite, what would it
12:19 be?
12:20 The first one. Because it's a special moment to have the possibility to become the Arsenal
12:26 manager. For me, it was a dream come true. And looking back to that first game, it's
12:34 something really special.
12:35 How proud are you to reach that achievement of 200 games?
12:39 I'm very proud. I'm very grateful. There are so many people around that have contributed
12:45 in a massive way to be here almost for four years. And a big thank you to all of them
12:51 because they've been instrumental to lead me in the difficult moments, to inspire me,
12:57 to make me better, to give me support and as well to give me so much joy every single
13:02 day to be working with them.
13:04 Over the break, there were some comments from Jorginho's representative talking about his
13:11 contract potentially being extended. Obviously, you've got that 12-month option to trigger.
13:16 Is that something you'd like to do going forward?
13:19 I'm really happy. I don't discuss these things here, but I'm really happy with Jorginho.
13:23 I think we all are. I think he contributes to make the team better.
13:27 Do you have any idea when you might make a decision on that?
13:32 That's a question for Edu, for the board, for somebody else.
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