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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on Arsenal Top of the League, Trust in Saka & Everton Clash
13/03/2026
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
13/03/2026
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
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00:00Hello, good afternoon.
00:01Any fresh injury concerns after midweek?
00:04No.
00:06And two of the players that were missing in Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard,
00:10do you expect to have them available tomorrow?
00:13Let's see. We will have to wait and see and speak to the doctors
00:16and whether they are involved or not.
00:19Lamentum is a word that's often used by managers, players,
00:24particularly at this stage of the season.
00:27What did that high-habit penalty do for the mood and the momentum of your group?
00:33Well, every result, every performance shifts its momentum,
00:38the emotional state of the team and the fact that we managed to throw the game at the end,
00:43obviously it was a lift because in any case we deserve for sure to lose that game.
00:48So yeah, I'm moving to the next one, you have no time,
00:51so when you finish that game,
00:52a bit of time to watch one or two games in the Champions League,
00:56some good games and then back to business.
00:59I must ask you, Mikel, about Fanny Herzl's comments this morning.
01:04He contacted you about comments he made post-Brighton.
01:07Could you share what was said between you and are you appreciative that he reached out?
01:13No, that's a personal conversation.
01:16Obviously he's made public now certain comments that he made before
01:20and that says, I think, a lot of positive things about him as a person.
01:27So I appreciate that and the rest, you know, I think it's a fantastic coach.
01:33The job that he's doing at Brighton is really, really good and that's fine.
01:37Somebody else who has been full of praise for you this afternoon is David Moyes.
01:43You've spoken glowingly about your relationship with him in the past.
01:48Have you spoken to him much this season and can give us an insight into how he helps you?
01:54No, I've spoken a few times,
01:55especially when we spend more time after we played each other in December.
02:02Not only him as well, but a big part of his staff and the people that are involved at the
02:07club
02:07always have huge memories and a massive gratitude.
02:12He changed my career, basically, after my decision to go back to Spain.
02:17And then he brought me to Everton.
02:20He really changed my career, me as a player as well,
02:23and a lot of incredible things that we shared together.
02:27Mikel, if you can, can you just take us inside the dressing room?
02:29I know you can only tell us so much,
02:31but Sir Alex Ferguson once, well, often spoke about seed mentality.
02:37And with all the noise that is around Arsenal at the moment,
02:42is that something that you've adopted and how powerful can that approach be
02:47with the unity of your players?
02:48You just have to go in that dressing room and feel the mood, the energy
02:52and the way we talk to each other and how much we value the position that we have right now
02:58and how much we want to, for sure, be in the same position at the end of the season.
03:03And that depends on us.
03:05So the focus is on what we have to do, what we have to maintain
03:08and what we have to improve together.
03:10Find a couple for me, Mikel.
03:12I know you're reluctant maybe to talk about the Q word.
03:16You mentioned that the other day about the quadruple.
03:18OK.
03:21Is it difficult to not think about it though?
03:25Not think about it?
03:28Not really.
03:28I mean, if you're in our seed from competition to competition,
03:32we're going to play in seven days in three different competitions.
03:35So that drags you from one to another.
03:37The urgency to get prepared, to translate the message that you want,
03:42to make the right decisions and to make sure that we arrive into any game
03:47in the best possible way, it's enough.
03:51And the rest is a consequence of that process and how well we do it,
03:54which is still very far.
03:56Last one for me, Mikel.
03:57I'm sure you're aware of the plight of your North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur just now.
04:03I recall speaking to you before the North London derby at the Emirates.
04:06When I was painting the picture of the Emirates under the light,
04:10the North London derby, you said it doesn't get any better than this.
04:14With that in mind, do you actually hope that they stay up
04:18and you still have this North London derby next season?
04:21I continue to say the same.
04:22It's one of the most beautiful games that we have
04:24because when there is that passion and that rivalry
04:28when it's in the right way in sports,
04:30I think it elevates the game and the feelings
04:33and the emotions after winning to a different level.
04:38It's not for me to say what's going to happen,
04:42but I can describe certainly how it's been to play against each other.
04:45Thank you so much.
04:47Nick from the Premier League.
04:48Hi.
04:48Good afternoon.
04:49A question about David Moyes.
04:50I read recently an article about the way David recruited you.
04:53I think it was the preseason.
04:54You played four rounds.
04:55You played against Everton.
04:57A few months later he got you into Everton.
05:00When you look at David's longevity in the game,
05:03how special is it in the very demanding atmosphere of the Premier League?
05:08It's just incredible.
05:09I mean, for me that's why he's one of the greatest English managers
05:13or the manager the Premier League has ever had.
05:15Because to maintain that level and that consistency
05:19in many different contexts and clubs is just so difficult to do
05:24and people have to appreciate it because it's very rare
05:28and I don't know how many times it's going to happen.
05:31You need to have, first of all, some very, very strong values,
05:36an incredible work ethic and so much passion for the game.
05:39Because he's been through great moments, some difficult moments
05:42and the way he's navigated through them
05:44is always conducting himself in the same way
05:47and that's a huge credit for him.
05:50You have eight games to win the Premier League.
05:52Who knows?
05:53Maybe you win it even before.
05:54But at this stage of the season it doesn't even matter
05:56the style of playing attractive football
05:58or it's all about winning and achieving the target.
06:01It's playing the best football that you possibly can
06:03and the game demands to give you the best possibility to win the game.
06:10And that's it.
06:14I realised what's happening in the Premier League the other day
06:16with a really important factor.
06:18I was watching the Champions League game between Newcastle and Barcelona.
06:20For me, Barcelona are the most exciting team in Europe
06:23in many moments the way they play.
06:25And they face one of the Premier League teams, Newcastle,
06:28which are exceptional in their intensity and the high press.
06:31Everything man-to-man.
06:33Huge amount of doers.
06:35Really good team in transition.
06:37And we saw a completely different game that I've never seen Barcelona play.
06:40And that's huge credit to Newcastle.
06:43But this is the league that we are playing in.
06:45Have you seen the Barcelona 1,000 passes that every week does it in Spain?
06:49No.
06:51It was a very different kind of game.
06:53Can it be beautiful?
06:54Yeah.
06:54But Newcastle made that game so well done as well.
06:58And huge credit to them the way they did it.
07:01Tom, for the one.
07:02Hi, Michael.
07:03There's only six games in the Premier League this season
07:05that have been won by four or more goals by any team.
07:08Last season it was 24 games that were won by four or more goals.
07:11What do you think it says about the Premier League right now
07:13and how competitive it is?
07:15The same example, Newcastle and Barcelona.
07:18This is the reality.
07:19And if you don't want to see it,
07:20it's because probably we have to change the glasses on the perspective
07:24that we see the game.
07:25Because this is the reality of our league right now.
07:28The gap between the top and the bottom teams, it just seems,
07:30is getting closer.
07:31Do you think that makes it a better spectacle?
07:34Or in some ways is it more difficult for you as a manager?
07:37Much better.
07:37That's it.
07:38You want to be the best league in the world by far.
07:42You need to have that and entertaining.
07:44And it's the unpredictability.
07:46It becomes boring.
07:48And how difficult it is to beat any opponent.
07:50And those numbers that you just mentioned,
07:52I think it's the best example of that.
07:56On a similar theme,
07:57I think a few weeks ago you spoke about
07:59how much football has evolved in the past two, three years.
08:03And when you see that evolution happen in real time,
08:06do you think it's more down to, I guess, individual teams
08:10or everyone collectively behaving in certain ways?
08:14Everybody.
08:15And learning from each other.
08:16It's like putting information in the best laptop every day
08:20and gathering what you do so well,
08:22I'm going to try to replicate it the same, the same, the same.
08:25So this is moving so, so fast.
08:28But like in any other sport.
08:30I mean, when you go to the best tennis players
08:32and the best tournaments, it's like saying,
08:35no, the serve, you cannot ace with the serve.
08:37It's not allowed.
08:38No, no.
08:38It is allowed and it's a great way to win a championship.
08:42And the NBA said, no, now it's threes.
08:45You cannot show from threes.
08:46No, no.
08:47Yeah, everybody's doing it
08:48and everybody's doing it better and better
08:49because it's more effective.
08:50And it will keep evolving.
08:52I know here in every sport,
08:53in Formula One the same thing happens.
08:55In marathons the same thing happens.
08:57And if you don't want to see it,
09:00I think you're wrong.
09:01This might be a bit of a weird question, but...
09:05But I'm going to ask you anyway.
09:07I am going to ask anyway.
09:10Would you ever try and, I guess,
09:12predict how the sport is going to evolve?
09:15Yes.
09:15And are there any ways you have done
09:17where you'd be happy to share?
09:20No.
09:22But it's not that weird.
09:23That's a good question.
09:24No, no.
09:24But I guess when you're looking at football,
09:28do you believe, I guess,
09:31there are ways you think of the game now
09:34that others might not be
09:36and you can kind of take advantage?
09:38I don't know.
09:39But with every opponent, it's the same.
09:42And you try to predict what is going to happen tomorrow.
09:45And I always do that.
09:46I think that's what they will do.
09:47I think that's the kind of situation
09:49and the amount of situations
09:50you're going to have to defend in this specific way.
09:53This is how we have to do in attack
09:55to replicate these kind of scenarios
09:57which are favourable for us
09:59and try to match those things.
10:01But it's difficult.
10:03There we go.
10:04Last international break is obviously coming up soon.
10:06For a lot of countries there's friendly matches.
10:08Yeah.
10:09How much will you speak to the various international managers
10:12about how many minutes your players play
10:14and concerns over their fitness?
10:15We have really good communication with most of them
10:19and we have it throughout the season
10:20just to update them on how we're doing
10:23because they have communication with the players themselves as well
10:26and what they expect.
10:28And yeah, we'll wait and see how everybody is
10:31and have those conversations and make the right decisions.
10:34Considering the stage of the season
10:35and how much is on the line for the club,
10:37will this maybe be the most nervous you've been
10:39during an international break?
10:43It's a period that I don't enjoy a lot,
10:45especially when we have 18-19 players playing
10:48and especially with what happened in our recent history
10:52with very important players.
10:54But it's part of the calendar and we have to accept that.
10:57James, CBS?
11:01A lot of teams have seen the success you've had
11:03with in-swinging corners into the six-yard box
11:06and picked up on it.
11:08It's been a league-wide trend, it's not something that you're doing alone.
11:12But do you ever think, you said the game will evolve,
11:15what about if something like an in-swing corner
11:18kind of breaks the game
11:19or it makes it a game that people don't enjoy watching?
11:22Do you feel any responsibility?
11:24That's why there are the rules of the long throws.
11:26We don't want to see long throws, very simple,
11:28give four seconds for the long throws if you need.
11:30But the biggest issue is the man-to-man, believe me.
11:33And then all the managers have to agree,
11:35you cannot defend man-to-man.
11:36And tomorrow you're going to have a different league.
11:38I guarantee you.
11:39Different league.
11:41Can I just ask you about the Kyle as well?
11:43Obviously, he sort of took him off against...
11:49He's not had the output you might think he would have
11:52at this stage of the season,
11:53but maybe some of the sort of chances he's creating,
11:55you know, somebody as a goal against Spurs
11:58where he didn't get an assist.
12:01When the sort of underlying metrics are ahead of the output,
12:05how as a manager do you manage that?
12:06Do you just sort of trust that it will come round?
12:08Do you maybe take him out of the team?
12:09We fully trust him and love him.
12:11I mean, what he's doing for us, for this club,
12:13is just incredible at his age.
12:15And he's continued to have that massive impact for us.
12:18He can have an individual performance
12:21that is not probably a reflection of his level,
12:23like every human, every player in the world.
12:27But overall when you look at his strength
12:29and the impulse that he has in the team,
12:31it's just incredible.
12:32OK, last couple of other Charles from Carl.
12:34I have a go.
12:35We're nine days out from Wembley now,
12:37so injuries permitting,
12:39do you really have your start at XI in mind for the Cup final?
12:43And will...
12:44Is it a sort of balancing act you've got now
12:46over the next two, you know, tomorrow and Tuesday night,
12:49as you sort of prepare for Wembley as well?
12:51No, because obviously we come from, I don't know,
12:54five games in very short periods of time again,
12:57and you're just going game by game
12:59understanding who can play a certain amount of minutes,
13:01who doesn't,
13:02and maybe for the next game you have an idea what you can do,
13:05but two, three games away is quite difficult at the moment.
13:08Just quickly, since Portsmouth on January 11th,
13:11I think 11 of your last 17 games of your competition
13:13have been away from home.
13:16Six of the remaining ten you have currently are at home.
13:19How much of an advantage do you think that will be?
13:21And given what the players have to go through in these 17 games,
13:24with demands, travelling, all that sort of stuff,
13:27how happy are you how they've navigated that?
13:29Yeah, because it was really complicated.
13:31I think at Summer State we had four away from home in a row,
13:35some very difficult games as well,
13:37but that's the calendar, that's the beauty of it as well.
13:39Obviously at home we have been very, very strong,
13:42and using that in the right way can be, you know, the deciding factor.
13:48Daniel, thank you.
13:49Hi, Michael. Joe from Venture Sport TV.
13:52You're currently 7.2 at the top of the team.
13:54Obviously a tough game tomorrow,
13:56we'll get better than one of the teams.
13:57Some of you know very, very well from six or seven seasons.
14:01How important is it for you to maintain the gap between
14:03yourselves and Man City with eight games to go?
14:06Every game that you win now is a massive step towards the objective,
14:12and tomorrow, as you said, we have a very difficult one.
14:15So, yeah, we're going to have to earn it,
14:17and if we do earn it, we're going to be closer.
14:20Okay, guys.
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