Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reflects on the Porto loss and facing Newcastle on Saturday
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00:00 Are you going to start with the injury updates?
00:12 We have another session today. Obviously he's been out for many, many months now and I want
00:18 him to really nail the timing and when he has enough in the time to compete. But I think
00:26 he's very close.
00:27 Same for Jesus?
00:30 Same with Gabi as well. He's done a few things and Alex is not far too.
00:34 And Tomi Assun?
00:37 And Tomi Assun still a little bit more I think.
00:40 You've had the chance to reflect with the players, look into their eyes and see how
01:02 they're feeling after that defeat. What do you see?
01:06 We see a team that can't wait to play Porto at home now. With that result obviously we
01:12 have created a fantastic Champions League night of football in front of our people and
01:19 the lights where you need to beat them to go through. The task is very clear now.
01:25 What does it mean about getting back to the Premier League and the determination to bounce
01:29 back straight away?
01:30 That's it. Porto is gone. We discussed it. We know the things that we did very well,
01:35 the things that we have to improve. It tells you again about the small matches in the Champions
01:40 League because we have one of the biggest chances in the 91st minute with Gabi. If you
01:45 score that goal we are 1-0 up. It's a fantastic, mature, disciplined performance in the Champions
01:50 League. You lose it in the last second and it's something else.
01:55 That's clear but we cannot lose sight of where we are, what we are doing and the importance
01:59 of the match tomorrow and the full energy and focus is there.
02:03 You only lost once before in the Champions League this season at London. You came back
02:10 and beat Manchester City three days later. Looking for similar this time?
02:14 That's the reaction that we need. We want to create an atmosphere in the stadium from
02:18 the beginning. I ask everybody to go there tomorrow night with full energy because the
02:24 team is going to need it. We are in a really good moment in the Premier League and we want
02:29 to continue to be there. Tomorrow's game is vital to achieve that.
02:33 The atmosphere against Liverpool on Saturday night?
02:42 Always better. We can do better, the team can play better, the crowd can be even more
02:46 energetic with us in every single ball. That's what we have to build tomorrow.
02:50 Lots of celebrations afterwards if you win?
02:56 I don't know if outside or inside the dressing room but let's win first.
03:01 Is it unfinished business? We won't go into the nitty-gritty of the game,
03:04 the point that you all feel was stolen from you at Newcastle,
03:08 but is there an aspect of unfinished business with you and the players?
03:11 With every club there is always a history, there is always what happened before,
03:17 what is going to happen next. We know the importance of the game and we just focus on
03:21 what we have to do.
03:28 Back at the Emirates after three away games, how does that feel?
03:31 It feels like a long time, that Liverpool game. It's been a while and we love playing at home and
03:39 tomorrow is a fantastic game.
03:40 What's the difference between the Arsenal that lost 1-0 at St James' Park and the
03:45 Arsenal going into tomorrow's game?
03:46 Let's see tomorrow. Even them as well, they have changed a little bit. I think they have a few
03:52 players that might not be available. The same with us. Let's see, every game is very different
03:59 and the approach on a home game can change.
04:02 Are you expecting Newcastle to have a similar approach to Porto?
04:06 I don't know because normally they have a very different approach to games,
04:14 especially when they don't have the ball. Two very different teams I think.
04:19 Are you going to use that defeat against Porto to get an extra bit of motivation or
04:24 do you want to forget about that and think about what you've done in the Premier League?
04:28 What happened in another competition is there. What you cannot deny is what is in your tummy
04:34 after a defeat and that we have to use it in a really powerful way to do even better.
04:48 Timbo, are we going to see him back before the end of the season?
04:50 I really hope so. He's been really well. He's been with some players around now on the pitch.
04:56 He's going to start to do some bits with us in the next week or so and then we have to see how
05:03 that evolves, how his confidence level, his fitness level and hopefully the answer is yes.
05:09 Because it seems now as we come towards the real running and after this weekend,
05:14 you, Liverpool and City have all played the same number of games,
05:18 your squad is in the best shape at the moment fitness-wise. There are injuries in City,
05:22 more injuries at Liverpool than both. But barring Timbo, it looks like within the next week or two
05:28 you could have almost a fully fit squad to choose from.
05:30 Yeah, obviously we have missed some big plays and we still are. But you have to adapt to that.
05:36 Obviously we want them back. We need them back as quick as possible and we know the impact that
05:41 those plays are going to have when we have the full squad ready.
05:45 11 goals in your last two league games, has that answered all the critics who were telling you
05:50 during January you've got to go and buy a striker, you've got to go and buy Ivan Toni,
05:53 you've got to go and get somebody to put the ball in the back of the net?
05:56 No, I think it shows that the team has the ability to score goals and to share the goals
06:02 and that we have to do it consistently. That's the demand at the end of the season. You're going
06:06 to have to score a certain amount of goals and not concede a certain amount of goals in order
06:10 to have the best chance to win titles. That's undeniable.
06:15 What is it about Newcastle as well, the last couple of seasons,
06:19 or certainly last season and then St James' Park earlier this season, that makes them
06:23 so difficult for you to beat? It looks like those games are very close between the two of you.
06:30 They are a really good team. They are very well coached, they are fantastic players,
06:34 they have great spirit within the team and they are difficult to beat for us and for
06:40 many, many opponents. You've beaten City and Liverpool this season already in the Premier
06:45 League. Many people would still see you as being the outsiders of the three to win the title.
06:51 Are you in the position right now that you would love to be in?
06:53 I think we are in a really good position and we are where we want to be. I don't know if we can
07:00 be better. As I said before, I think the most important thing is that we continue to believe,
07:06 to perform at the level that we are doing and we have the squad available.
07:10 If we have those two things, we are going to give them a real go.
07:13 Declan was talking about the team learning some savviness and the element of the dark arts.
07:25 Is that something you feel the team needs to develop as they mature?
07:34 Yes, we certainly can develop a lot of things and those experiences are really relevant
07:39 to judge whether we were or we weren't. Just because a goal, I don't think it's that fair.
07:45 I was very clear with them about it because I believe they did a lot of things right.
07:49 And managing games and things like that, we can still improve. But in a year's time for sure,
07:55 we can improve and we can improve in our build-up phase and we can improve
08:00 in our restarts and we can improve in many areas.
08:02 Can you have that off the pitch and then when you go on the pitch,
08:12 flip that switch and have that edge, have that bit of the dark arts?
08:14 Can you be a nice guy and be a bad guy on the pitch?
08:16 Yes, I don't know if I'm a bad guy but you have to be tricky, you have to be smart,
08:21 you have to be streetwise and you have to try to take advantages in every situation and they know
08:27 that. Is that something you coach on the pitch, off the pitch? How do you develop that in the players?
08:31 That's a thing that has to be developed. If you don't have it, that's for sure.
08:35 Because the best teams, the best players, they have that.
08:39 It's nearly four months now since what happened at Newcastle,
08:45 obviously your response afterwards in the club statement and everything.
08:47 Since then, do you think you've seen a noticeable improvement in officiating of the AR?
08:52 Well, that's what we all wanted. At the end, the decisions are better. I think the last stats that
09:00 came across showed that it was a significant improvement and a lot of decisions were getting
09:05 right. Hopefully that's the case and we continue to do that.
09:07 Your response at the time was criticised by some, but do you feel
09:12 you being able to talk about it and bringing it up like that has helped that whole conversation?
09:15 I don't know. I talked the way I felt and I was very straight. I did it in a way that
09:25 it was pretty strong, but within the law because I didn't get charged for that. So that's the story.
09:31 On Wednesday it was quite a stop-start game, there were lots of fouls,
09:37 quite similar to the home game against Newcastle last year. You said that your team can learn to
09:45 do better and will learn from those situations. What do you think they can learn between Wednesday
09:49 and potentially a similar test on Saturday?
09:53 Well, we have to learn, but as well we need the game to be managed in the right way and that's not
10:00 for us to do. That's for the referees to do and we leave it for them because it's obvious again
10:06 what happened on Wednesday. We have to deal with that and we have to be ready for that,
10:10 but at the end it's their job and they have to manage that.
10:13 Before the Nottingham Forest game, you spoke about the desire for revenge,
10:18 you said everyone could feel it in their stomachs going into the game.
10:21 Can you sense a similar atmosphere amongst your players this time going into the Newcastle match?
10:25 Well, I could sense in the dressing room straight away that we wanted to play
10:28 the next day if possible and after that defeat that's the feeling that you get.
10:33 I'm sure when they come back in an hour or two I'm going to be seeing that desire again.
10:38 13 games to go this season, this stage last season was a bone-mouth game,
10:46 that dramatic 3-2-1, it felt like a lot of emotional energy had been spent already.
10:51 How much is left in the tank at this stage?
10:53 A lot because I think a lot of players haven't played significant minutes this season and some
11:01 important players as well. So I can sense that there are still five or six that have still a
11:08 lot to offer to the team and the other ones because after what happened last year we want
11:12 to make sure that this season is very different and that brings a lot of energy because we know
11:18 what we are facing.
11:19 You've brought in one sub, there's talk of not using the bench as much as other teams.
11:25 Because you've got five or six players there, do you think it's maybe their time to step up?
11:30 Yeah, we have made changes in the last few games and every game is different in relation to what
11:37 is happening and rightly or wrongly, which at the end are decided by the results at the end,
11:44 we try to make the right call.
11:46 How different does it feel approaching the run-in compared to last season?
11:52 It feels like after that bone-mouth game it felt like Arsenal were there compared to when.
12:01 Does it feel slightly different this time because it's three teams competing and you're on the
12:06 shoulder rather than legal?
12:08 I feel a lot of excitement, especially internally because we are right in the mix and we want to
12:14 continue to be there because we are in the Champions League and we have a fantastic game
12:18 to play at the Emirates. Externally it's probably different because the expectations are
12:24 much more focused on the other two teams and that's it.
12:27 Thank you.