- 10 months ago
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on fixture congestion, Burnley test and injuries
31/10/2025
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
31/10/2025
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good morning.
00:01Good morning.
00:02Any fresh injuries to report after the other night?
00:05No, I think we have the same ones.
00:09Martinelli is still out.
00:11Saliba, we have to wait and see.
00:13We have another training session this afternoon
00:15and the rest is still getting closer.
00:18I think in the right direction, but not available yet.
00:21So Saliba's got a chance, but Martinelli,
00:23do you foresee how long he might be out for?
00:26No, we don't know yet,
00:27but I think this game is going to come too early for him.
00:29Just on those other four that you mentioned,
00:32just Jesus, Odegaard, Magweke, Havert,
00:36have you got any updates on when they could be back?
00:40I would say weeks.
00:43And some of them pretty soon, hopefully,
00:46if they keep evolving the way they are doing.
00:48It's difficult to put a game.
00:50You know that we have the international break,
00:52which is a two-week break there.
00:54And after that, I think we'll have some back.
00:56I don't know if it's going to be all of them, some of them,
00:58but we'll be quite close by then.
01:01Eight wins on the spin now for your team.
01:04I'm guessing momentum is very, very difficult to build,
01:07but very easy to shatter in a way.
01:10Is that the message to your team,
01:13to keep the foot on the gas consistently?
01:16Yeah, and maintain the level of urgency,
01:19the concentration, the focus, the ambition that we are showing every game.
01:24And every game brings different challenges.
01:26Sometimes we have to be very patient.
01:28Some of the times we have to have a different approach.
01:31And the game against Burnley is going to be really tough.
01:35They are extremely well coached.
01:37I know it's really well done with the club and with this team.
01:40It's formidable.
01:41And when you look at all the games,
01:44and I see five of those,
01:45the last games that they played,
01:47very, very tough team to beat.
01:49They are one of the three promoted teams.
01:51In the last two seasons,
01:52all three promoted teams have gone down.
01:55Currently, none of those three promoted teams are in the relegation zone.
01:59Can you put into context how competitive this particular Premier League is?
02:05Well, more than ever,
02:06I think the level is increasing year after year.
02:09Better structure, better organisation,
02:11better decision-making from clubs, managers, better players.
02:16So, it's a real difficulty of that.
02:18And when I look against big teams,
02:20and the way they have behaved,
02:21and how they have earned points or lose points,
02:24it's for very small margins.
02:26And that's the reality in this league.
02:28You've said before that you've loved every minute of being manager at Arsenal.
02:33I guess even when you said that you love it.
02:36Is picking this team currently fast becoming the worst part of your job?
02:44No, I cannot say that.
02:45It is the worst part in terms of the decision we set some place
02:51when you don't allow them to play,
02:52which is the hardest part in our job.
02:54But they acknowledge that as well.
02:56And at the end,
02:58it's like when they make decisions,
03:00some good, some bad,
03:01and not judging every decision that they make,
03:03we cannot do that.
03:04So the other way around,
03:05this cannot happen.
03:06So, at the moment,
03:07we are dealing with it in a really positive way.
03:10And you can see the consequences to that in the impact that every player that is not playing is having.
03:15And when they have to play, the way they are performing.
03:18And you only do that with good preparation and good mental state.
03:22How do you manage that disappointment though?
03:24Because it's human nature for players to say,
03:26I should be playing.
03:27I deserve to play.
03:28But sometimes you have to tell them,
03:30actually, you are not going to be in the team today.
03:33Well, it's an education that you probably get since you are young
03:37and you decide to play football.
03:39You know that there are 11 players playing
03:41and then another 10 or 12 that they are not going to start the game.
03:44It doesn't mean they are not going to be important for the team.
03:46So hopefully that's an education that all of us got with the right coaches very early in our careers.
03:51If I have to do that right now,
03:53obviously it will be difficult.
03:54And just try to do it,
03:56you know,
03:57with an open heart,
03:58understanding that you care about them and you want the best
04:00and they will have their moments.
04:02And then, yeah,
04:03try to be as fair as possible when you see certain behaviours
04:06and that willingness to play gives them obviously the opportunity to play.
04:10Final one for me, Miguel.
04:11It's often said a team reflects their manager.
04:14When I'm watching Arsenal now, they look calm and controlled.
04:18When I'm watching you on the sidelines,
04:20you seem to be calm and controlled.
04:22Yeah.
04:23Sometimes more than others, yeah.
04:25Are you?
04:27And I remember you were talking just before the Atletico Madrid game
04:30that you've been working on that side of it.
04:33What have you done to try and become a little bit more calm and controlled on the sidelines?
04:39I think it's the years.
04:40I think the trust and confidence that you have in the team as well.
04:43In the work that you do, getting feedback I think is the best thing for people
04:48that are very close in our jobs, people that know you really, really well.
04:53Where is that coming from?
04:54Because sometimes it's a way.
04:56I want my team to be very active and at the same time very creative and very disciplined.
05:01And if you want the manager to be like that, you cannot be just watching the game like this.
05:06So as well it's something that is the way I am, is the way I live the game.
05:11And I want the players as well to live the game constantly with that body language.
05:16And from there, you can always improve.
05:20I need to have for a minute.
05:21Good morning.
05:22I wanted to pick up on what you just said there.
05:25Are you able to maybe tell us who it is that you turn to for feedback?
05:29No.
05:30A lot of people, some of them, you know, and I cannot say it here, but it's just that,
05:36you know, and the good and the bad or the ideas that they can bring to make us better.
05:41People that have a different perspective, they're not with us every single day
05:44and probably that's the people that have the more clear picture about looking at things
05:50with a different idea or perspective to help us, not only me but all the coaches
05:55and for sure the players as well.
05:58Some of them we know, is that other managers?
06:01Yeah, other sports can be, but you will know them, yeah.
06:04And going back to the competitiveness of the team,
06:08after the game against Brighton,
06:11Miles Lewis-Skelly said that he enjoys that competitive spirit
06:15and he loves to give you something to think about.
06:18Do you feel in virtually every position at the moment,
06:21all your players are giving you something to think about ahead of choosing a start from 11?
06:25Well, that's what we want to create.
06:27If we want to get the best out of all of them,
06:30those standards have to be set in training.
06:32And if you don't have that in training,
06:34it's very difficult to replicate it during matches.
06:36So it's the balance between the competition and the cooperation between the players
06:42as well to understand their role on the day and what they have to do.
06:46But I love that spirit.
06:48Scott Parker was also very complimentary about you.
06:51He said that it's an exceptional well-oiled machine when it comes to talking about Arsenal.
06:57Do you feel the team is a well-oiled machine or how far are they away from being that?
07:02Yeah, I think we are able to dominate a lot of aspects of the game.
07:06We can, of course, improve in many of them still.
07:09And that's a constant evolution as a team.
07:13But the more resources and the more things we can dominate throughout a game,
07:18especially in the Premier League, the better chance you have to win games.
07:24Hi, Michal.
07:25Hi.
07:26Very good.
07:28As we sit here right now,
07:29we don't know when your League Cup final with Crystal Palace is going to be played
07:33because there is, to put it mildly, a pileup of fixtures.
07:37Not on Christmas Day, I think.
07:39It's an option.
07:40Christmas Day.
07:41It's an option.
07:42Okay.
07:43Hopefully not.
07:44I was wondering if you could speak to me about where we've got to now
07:48regarding players and supporters and how the amount of fixtures
07:53and how often they're coming is beginning to affect both players and supporters.
07:58Well, every decision that we make in terms of a fixture has to be guided on two main things.
08:03I think players' welfare and then supporters.
08:06That's it.
08:07And the rest has to come very, very far away from that.
08:11And we should never forget that principle.
08:13That's the only thing I would say.
08:15Are we in a situation sometime soon, not now, but maybe in a season or two,
08:20if this continues with the amount of fixtures that the big clubs have to play,
08:25they may have to pull out of some competitions because they just can't fit all the games in?
08:30I hope we don't go.
08:31We have that big piece of paper with those two principles there in front
08:34before we make any decision.
08:36All of us in our industry, we won't get there.
08:39If we don't and we just ignore that, then anything is possible.
08:43On a brighter note, we're coming into November.
08:46You're winning every game without conceding a goal.
08:49Other teams are inconsistent, let's put it that way.
08:52The likes of Man City, the likes of Liverpool.
08:54In terms of that, is this the perfect opportunity now for you and Arsenal to go and achieve what you want?
09:02It's a big opportunity what we have ahead of us, but we have to continue with that level of consistency
09:09and we know how difficult that is.
09:11Tomorrow is going to be an extremely tough match for us
09:14and we're going to have to again hit those performance levels to end the game.
09:18Finally, you've spoken about how difficult it is to pick the team and tell players when they're in the starting eleven
09:25and not in the starting eleven.
09:26Two youngsters the other night you were beaming about.
09:29One making their beaming maxed down what we've seen before.
09:33How difficult is it to tell youngsters, kids, when they're playing, they've had that high?
09:39Sorry, maybe you're not starting next game or you may not even be in the squad next.
09:44How difficult is that for you? Because you said the other night was one of the proudest nights you've had.
09:49Well, when you're delivering good news, it's so easy and it's so wonderful
09:54and you get an incredible reaction.
09:56But you have to be prepared in our job to give other kinds of news and messages sometimes.
10:02And it is for the best for the team and maybe not for the best of the individual.
10:07But you never know because some decisions that at the time you think they are not good for you,
10:11they become the best decision for your career.
10:14And I have experienced that myself.
10:16So take them, make the most out of them.
10:19I will see what happens next day.
10:21Tom for Blondon.
10:23Hi Michael.
10:24Miles spoke to our colleagues on Wednesday and he used the word our house to describe the Everence.
10:30I'm curious, is that something that you've kind of instilled culturally
10:33or was that organically coming from the players that tag of the Everence being our house?
10:36That's the way I feel it, hopefully the way they feel it as well.
10:40But to use that language, you really have to feel it.
10:43You have to feel that when you get there, your energy level, your desire to defend your house,
10:51to threaten anybody that comes very close to that, it has to be your mindset.
10:58And if the players feel that and our supporters feel that, I think we're going to be stronger.
11:03When you go away, as you do on Saturday, how does that messaging change being in enemy territory, for instance?
11:10How does that change the wording, if you like, of what goes from our house to their house?
11:15Yeah, we go to a different territory.
11:17Obviously, we use a different language to that.
11:19But yeah, at the end, the purpose and what we want to achieve in the game is very similar.
11:24But the context changes because we are in a different situation.
11:28Simon Standard?
11:29Just on the calendar and the fixture issues, Rodri last season spoke quite passionately
11:35about players feeling at the point where they might have to strike to get their voices heard.
11:40Is that when you talk about your fears that people aren't being listened to take extreme measures?
11:46Hopefully not.
11:47If we look after the players' welfare and our supporters, I think we're never going to get to that point.
11:54And that's it.
11:55And we have to close the window there.
11:56We cannot open that window.
11:57It has to be closed.
11:59It's our most precious value.
12:02We have the best league in the world and we cannot just open any window for anything just to lose that
12:09because we don't respect that and we forget what we are made of and what makes this game.
12:15And this league is so, so special.
12:18And if we respect that, I'm sure we're going to be totally fine.
12:21Just on Nani, Martin and Kai, you sounded pretty confident on them.
12:26That game after the international break is obviously more than a Derby.
12:29Is your hope that you can have the trio back for that?
12:32Yeah, I'm excited because they are tremendous players.
12:34I see them work every single day, how desperate they are to be part of the team.
12:39The huge boost that is going to be for the squad to have.
12:42And those players, again, are available after such a long, long time.
12:46So I'm really happy that I think it's going to be very soon.
12:49When you have a night like you did the other night in the League Cup,
12:55where players who have played less are making a big contribution,
12:58academy players are making a big contribution,
13:00what impact does that have in the dressing room in the days that follow?
13:05Do you see the transformational impact that can have?
13:08Absolutely.
13:09And especially when we talk about players that they are starting their careers
13:14because we've all been there and that's something that I discuss with the players.
13:17I make sure that when Andre thinks about this day,
13:21he knows exactly the date, the team, the hour and who he plays next to that
13:25and what actually happened that day.
13:27Because that's for the rest of your life and we are all responsible to make that day,
13:31that night very, very special for him.
13:35And the other fact, because you play a cup, that you are in or you are out.
13:38And if we want to win every trophy, we want to be there,
13:40we have to be ruthless in every competition.
13:42And in order to achieve that, we're going to need any player.
13:46And in order to do that, you have to be at your best.
13:49And we have a lot of players that play very few minutes,
13:52but on minus three, Kepa makes that save because every day he trains like a beast.
13:57And it's not a coincidence.
13:59You have got a really talented group, a big group as well.
14:02Do you have any concerns about sustaining a group of that size in the long term
14:08or do you feel more that this is a necessity and other clubs will be following that example?
14:14Well, because I've been part of that.
14:16When I was here at Arsenal, we have an incredible squad.
14:18When I was at Manchester City and you could pick two or three players,
14:21per position if you want to go to Chelsea or Liverpool when they're winning,
14:25they all have it.
14:26We're not doing anything special.
14:28And thanks God we have it because we have five or six big players out
14:32and we are having to use other kinds of solutions as well
14:35and the team remains competitive.
14:37So, very necessary.
14:39I don't think you get away at that level with anything else than that.
14:42We'll do the last couple of the airs live.
14:44Firstly, Phil at the back of the PA.
14:46Just one more on the fixture and congestion.
14:48Is there an easy fix?
14:50Because obviously it's a topic that comes up season after season.
14:53Is there an easy solution to it?
14:55No, probably it's not easy.
14:57But it has to be doable because if we are putting something that is not doable,
15:02then what are we doing?
15:04So, it's doable for sure.
15:06So, let's do it in the best possible manner,
15:08respecting players and supporters.
15:10That's it.
15:11Just in terms of Arsenal's form,
15:13when you've got to run like this eight minutes in a row,
15:15six clean sheets and the confidence in the cap must be so high.
15:19Is there a feeling that Arsenal are unstoppable?
15:22No, because you always have that sense of urgency.
15:25And you see the complications and the challenges that the next opponent is going to bring you.
15:30And we know that.
15:31And every three days with very little time to train and prepare,
15:34we always have to be like this.
15:37And I see everybody on their toes ready for the next game.
15:41And accepting that challenge and understanding that the opportunity is there as well.
15:46And if we do what we have to do, we have a big opportunity to win again.
15:50When does the title race start?
15:55I don't know.
15:56For you, in pre-season already.
15:58So, for me, it's the first day in pre-season,
16:01just trying to prepare the team and individuals in the best possible way.
16:04And go with them by game because this is going to be so long.
16:08It seems to be a real belief among the players that they can win it this year.
16:12I mean, do you encourage them to talk about it openly?
16:15Or do you kind of shut it down?
16:17How do you treat that around the players?
16:19We have to focus on the journey and what we have to do every single day.
16:22Fixing the outcome.
16:24Of course, we want to win it.
16:25And the preparation is towards that.
16:27Great.
16:28And now we have set all the protocols, processes, ambitions, everything.
16:33But now you have to focus on what you have to do.
16:35If not, you get distracted with the rest.
16:37And I don't want any of that in and around the team.
16:40Because after finishing second for three years,
16:42it would be easy maybe to think there's a ceiling and we're never going to get there.
16:46But they seem to have been able to kick on past that.
16:49How have you done that?
16:51Because at the end you learn that the margins at the end,
16:54to achieve it or not, are multiple.
16:56So it can be that an opposition player is one against one against the keeper,
17:01he scores that goal, you are champion.
17:03The other keeper saves it, you are no champion.
17:06It can be other injuries, it can be other decisions, it can be a mistake of mind.
17:11It can be that many factors that we cannot control that outcome.
17:15What we can control is what we can do the best.
17:18That's it.
17:19Talking about song.
17:20Talking about a lot of things that can happen.
17:23So it's a lot of factors that have to go your way.
17:30You can do a lot of great things and still a lot of things have to go your way.
17:34And the injuries and the players that you have to play and they have to be there.
17:37And the personal lives have to be perfect because if not you can unbalance.
17:41It's so many things, guys.
17:43And it's still so, so long.
17:45And we've seen already the turnaround in the league and go to the Champions League is the same.
17:50Other league is the same.
17:51We are in a really specific context at the moment.
17:53And let's focus day by day.
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