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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta Responds to Pep Guardiola Claim Arsenal Are the Best Team in the World
23/01/2026
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
23/01/2026
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, Mikel.
00:01Hello.
00:02I was just at open training just now.
00:03It looks like good news.
00:04Ricardo Calafuri, Piero and Capier are back on the training pitch.
00:07Are they ready for Sunday?
00:09Yeah, we have still another training session,
00:11so we'll see tomorrow after that to assess everybody
00:14and make the decision first of all in the squad.
00:17No fresh injuries from the Inter game?
00:20No, after the Inter we had no issues reported.
00:23Just on a selection headache that you might have now,
00:26and a welcome one, I'm guessing,
00:28with Gabriel Jesus and Victor Jokerez
00:31and the returning Kai Havertz.
00:33Something that you wanted maybe from the start of this season, isn't it?
00:36Yes, we were waiting for that
00:38and with the amount of games that are coming up,
00:40they're all going to have opportunities and minutes obviously,
00:43so great to have them back and especially to have them in good form.
00:47I've asked you this before about Victor actually,
00:49in that he had to start the season effectively
00:52without Jesus and Kai Havertz.
00:55Now that they're back, how much do you think
00:57it's not going to just help Arsenal but help him as well?
01:01Yeah, well, he started without that, without a precision as well
01:04and a lot of minutes and a lot of responsibility on him.
01:08And now the fact that we have other options as well,
01:10I think it's something really positive, especially for the squad.
01:13And you could see the other day,
01:15the guy scoring two goals, Victor coming in
01:16and making an impact to win the game.
01:18Sunday we'll see you come up against Manchester United and Michael Carrick.
01:22How much of a tougher proposition do you think that game is compared to maybe two or three weeks ago?
01:29Yeah, well, obviously Michael coming in is going to bring new ideas.
01:34Always the intensity rises up.
01:36You could see in the draft in Manchester the kind of behaviours and the game that they played.
01:42So, yeah, we expect a really tough match.
01:45We will add up to that for sure.
01:46But we are at home and we know how important that game is for us.
01:50Can I just ask you about Ethan Vanieri?
01:52You know he's out in Marseille.
01:54It looks like it is going to be an agreed deal with Marseille for the rest of the season.
01:59From your perspective, how hard a decision was it?
02:02And what were the key factors behind it?
02:04Yeah, well, I think the deal is quite close.
02:07But, yeah, it's something that we constantly have to be monitoring.
02:11And I think the talented young players that we have, they need minutes.
02:15And in this case, Ethan wasn't having enough minutes.
02:18And the last thing that we want is to cut his development,
02:21because he's such a talent and so on that loves and breathes football.
02:24That's his life.
02:25And after having a discussion with him, with his father, the agent and the club,
02:29we decided that the best thing to do was to leave and go on loan.
02:34And then we have to play in the right place and having all the options.
02:38Understanding the experience that we had in Marseille as well with Willy.
02:42The fact that Roberto is there and he's an incredible development of young talent
02:46and he's a really courageous manager in the way he plays,
02:50but when he plays with young talent as well and he has a big track record about that.
02:54And I think it fits the way of playing for the qualities that we want to see for Ethan.
02:59So it's going to be a great experience for him.
03:01Miguel, you would have been a teenager, I think,
03:04when the Arsenal-Manchester United rivalry was its absolute fever pitch
03:08back in the late 90s, early 2000s.
03:11How big an impact did that rivalry have on you?
03:15And did it make you think, I want to be part of the Premier League
03:19because of that particular rivalry that was happening then?
03:22Yeah, and you guys played so well, especially in Spain.
03:25You could see the tension and the rivalry and those individual battles.
03:30They were there as well that make the game really, really special.
03:35So, yeah, obviously two massive clubs that they've been fighting at the highest level for so many years.
03:40And yeah, we want to try to have the best possible game to win it.
03:44It has thrown up so many incredible moments, some incredible rivalries as well, that fixture.
03:51Does one stand out for you? What was your first memory of it or your most memorable one back from then?
03:57I don't know, there are a lot.
03:59But obviously, just before kick-off as well, a lot of the things that were going on.
04:04And that's rising up the tension and then obviously the atmosphere in the stadium.
04:08But yeah, some incredible players as well in that era as well,
04:11that they've been absolutely legends of this league.
04:15So that's what makes it so exciting.
04:19Go to Jake from the Premier League.
04:21On Sunday then, against Manchester United,
04:24how different a side do you think you face from what you saw in the derby
04:28compared to perhaps the former character in charge?
04:31We don't know. Every game is different.
04:33Obviously, at the end the individuals are the ones that make the difference
04:36or the ones that make the game in a certain way.
04:40We're going to try to be ourselves, be very dominant like we always want to be,
04:44impose the game that we want to play.
04:46And regardless of what you want to do,
04:48we want to take the game in the areas that are very good for us.
04:53And you mentioned the other two strikers who are now back to partner Victor Jokeres.
04:59Do you think that gives you confidence that he can get back to the form
05:03that he showed as to why he wanted to sign him in the first place in front of goal?
05:07Yeah, it's a lot of things that have to happen
05:10for consistently being able to produce those performances and numbers,
05:14but we have different relationships around him as well
05:17because Kai is a player that can play in the two attacking midfielder positions.
05:20So we can vary in relation to the opponents, their behaviour
05:23and the game that we want to play, so that's very good.
05:27And just lastly, you touched on it earlier,
05:30you came to a club that you knew like Michael Carrick has done.
05:33When you arrived in the first place,
05:35does it, I want to say give you a head start,
05:38but does it make the settling period easier or is there more pressure on you?
05:43I don't know. First of all,
05:45it's the feeling that I had towards the club because I played here
05:48and that's unique, that brings something extra.
05:51The fact that you know a lot of people, in my opinion,
05:54is something very beneficial and understanding the history of the club
05:58from the inside.
05:59And then you have to acclimatise and adapt to the circumstances
06:03and start your job.
06:05There's a date that's come out that suggests that you're playing currently
06:09with the highest defensive line in the league
06:11and you're playing against the lowest defensive lines in the league.
06:14Do you think the Premier League is almost boiling down to a point
06:16that the team that wins the league is the one that's best equipped
06:19to break down these low blocks?
06:22Well, that is one of the weapons that is necessary
06:25because a lot of teams are doing that,
06:27but as well we can see more and more the man-to-man game
06:30that is conquering not only the Premier League but Europe, I think, as well.
06:34So you need to dominate all the faces in the game
06:37if you want to have the chance to win major trophies.
06:40We've seen now that you've scored ten goals against Inter Milan,
06:43Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich across those three massive European games.
06:46When you see the difference between European and domestic football,
06:50how different do you have to set up to prepare for each competition?
06:53Yeah, it is very different.
06:56First of all, because the information and the time you have to prepare those games
07:00and when you don't know them that much it is a bit different,
07:03then the rules change a little bit in the way the games are managed as well.
07:08There is always an element of you are in or out, you need the points, you don't.
07:12So the results as well and how teams behave can change.
07:16But so far it has been good.
07:18James Atletic.
07:19Hi Mikel, I want to talk to you about Kai.
07:21He's obviously been back with the group for a few weeks now,
07:24but we've not seen him yet in the Premier League or the Champions League.
07:27Can you let us know your assessment of where he is in his rehab
07:31and how happy you are with his progress so far?
07:34Well, he's very close, obviously he's been out for a long time.
07:37Almost a year for different reasons.
07:41And now we have to be very smart in the manner that we manage that load,
07:45the minutes, and I'm sure in the next few weeks he's going to play in minutes.
07:48I cannot say in which competition because that will depend as well on the game context.
07:53And it's a context that is positive to throw him in or not with his qualities.
07:58And yeah, it's great that we have him.
08:01We can use him in different positions.
08:02We will see him in different positions.
08:04And we are really happy to have him.
08:06And is the aim really to take your time to make sure that when you enter the decisive period of the season,
08:12March, April, May, that you've got Kai fit and firing at that point?
08:16Yes, because after a long-term injury is not only the period that you come in,
08:20it's what happens in the next six to eight weeks.
08:22And we want to maintain that and manage that really well.
08:26So after we can creep it up, as you said, when all the big, big games are coming up,
08:31and we have to make sure that everybody is in the right mind and physically at the highest level.
08:37James, CBS?
08:38Hi, Michael.
08:39I know you're not a big social media user,
08:41but maybe you're aware of the nerves and the tension that's on there among the Arsenal fan base.
08:46And I think many of us would say that's drifting into the stadium a little bit.
08:50You know, you're top of the Champions League,
08:52not seven points clear in the Premier League.
08:54What would be your message to supporters to sort of try to calm the nerves?
08:59It's not about coming, it's about continuing to do what we are doing really well
09:05and try to evolve every single day to be better.
09:07So from their side, it's continuing to do what they do in the stadium,
09:12create more energy, more positiveness around the games, in each action.
09:18And if we do that and we create that kind of a scenario,
09:20we're going to make it more and more difficult to the opponent,
09:23and that's going to help us to win more games.
09:25Pep Guardiola has just said you're the best team in the world. Do you agree?
09:28I don't know. I think we are the team that wants to be constantly better,
09:35that we're doing a lot of things right, but we are far from perfect.
09:38And our only aim is to sustain the level that we are doing,
09:42but especially in certain areas try to improve again.
09:45James, here's the game.
09:46Michael, when you play against United, you talk a lot about transition.
09:50I don't know if they are in transition.
09:52Is that where you think you're going to be one of us?
09:55It's one of the areas.
09:56I mean, they are so good in a lot of departments.
09:58It's clear that when that team has a space to run and certain players
10:03to activate their runs, they become lethal.
10:06And you saw that a few days ago in Manchester.
10:09But they have a lot of attributes to cause you problems.
10:13But as well, like every team, they have their weaknesses as well.
10:16In terms of that transition play, are they the best in the league at that?
10:20I don't know. Historically, there has always been something very, very linked to that
10:25and the profile of players that they always have
10:28and certain individuals that are so good at activating those spaces as well.
10:32But I don't know the stats exactly, but for sure they are one of the best.
10:37Max Mastander.
10:38What's about Can Fiori?
10:39It's obviously so unique in the positions he takes up, particularly in the attack.
10:43How much has the balance of the team sort of been impacted by missing those specific points?
10:48We try to adapt to the qualities of our players and certain players give us more dynamism
10:54and our options in terms of the spaces that they can occupy
10:58and where they are comfortable and how they can link between them.
11:02And others are probably more static and more fixed and more positional.
11:06And Ricky's quality is that he can be very fluent in many spaces.
11:11And just one on Bakayo. I think his 12 matches are out of goal,
11:14which has been joined by his career at Arsenal.
11:17What do you sort of put that down to?
11:20Well, that's a possibility always, but the impact that he has in games
11:24around all the attacking process for us
11:28and the attraction that he has in the opponents as well,
11:30opening up spaces for other players.
11:32We want him obviously scoring and assisting in every match
11:35and that has to be the aim at the level that he has.
11:38So we keep working on that.
11:39Last couple of years live, Charles from Goal.
11:42I remember about a year ago you called him a genetic powerhouse
11:46because he's so used to playing.
11:48He stayed fit so much in his career.
11:50Do you think mentally, after such a long time out,
11:52it's going to be quite difficult for him to trust his body when he does get back?
11:56Is that something that's going to have to work on?
11:58I don't think so because he's a player that has an unbelievable track record.
12:02And what happened?
12:04OK, it happened.
12:05And you have to go through that in your career at least once.
12:08He's gone through that period that has enabled him as well
12:11to learn more about the game, about his body
12:14and probably about how much he loves playing
12:16and how difficult is his life when football is not a big part of that.
12:21And he looks really, really hungry.
12:24And I'm sure we're going to see a very good version of Kai.
12:27Just for you on Ethan, at a similar age in your career
12:30you took a big move leaving last night to go to France on the loan.
12:34The experience that you spoke very fondly of,
12:37have you used that and spoken to Ethan about that,
12:39think that this time he spends there won't just be good for him on the pitch
12:43but off the pitch as well in terms of the learning experience?
12:45Yes, and not only me but a lot of players
12:48that they have these kind of situations
12:51and just understanding how he's going to feel
12:54because when they talk about the opportunity
12:56and the clubs that are interested in you to go,
12:58the first thing is excitement.
13:00You are willing to play, you speak to the manager,
13:02he's very keen on you and you're going to play at the weekend
13:05and you're going to start a lot of games and this is all very good.
13:08But one day you have to go, OK, pack your bags,
13:10this is the flight tickets and you have to go to Marseille.
13:13Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait.
13:15And that is fear, his insecurity,
13:18he's getting out of a place that has been really comfortable for him,
13:22around his family.
13:23But then this is the thing,
13:25at the end you have to be thrown there into the Sharks
13:28in an incredible football culture and atmosphere and club
13:34and it's going to make him so much good.
13:37And finally Phil from Pierre.
13:39Just going back to that comment from Pep earlier
13:41about Arsenal being the best team in the world.
13:43I appreciate you probably don't want to say we are the best team in the world,
13:46but is it a big compliment to come from someone like him
13:49because your relationships were documented?
13:51Just to hear that must be a buzz.
13:55It's always much better to hear positive things about your team
13:58and the work that you are doing,
14:00but obviously that's a big word,
14:02especially because in my opinion to be related to that
14:06you have to win a lot of things and we haven't,
14:09but we certainly have the purpose to be the best version
14:12that we can be every single day
14:14and we're not going to stop till we achieve that.
14:16I just want to know Gavin,
14:18James, obviously you played so well the other night.
14:20Is it difficult to leave someone like that out of the team
14:23when he scores two goals and plays so well
14:25when you see the United to come on Sunday?
14:28Well, it's exactly what you want from your strikers,
14:30the same that Victor did,
14:32but at the end you have to pick what you think is the best team
14:35to start against a different opposition,
14:37a different context,
14:39and then how you're going to finish the game as well.
14:41So tomorrow evening or the morning of the match
14:44we will decide that.
14:46Okay, that finishes the live section.
14:47We'll go to…
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