Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke to the media before his team’s next match with Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The Gunners are four points off the top of the table after beating Aston Villa 4-1 in their last game, while Manchester City dropped points against Sunderland last night.
Arteta has now discussed the latest on injuries, team selection and other issues ahead of the Bournemouth game.
Mikel Arteta’s press conference today in full
For any new injury news
No, we haven’t trained yet, so today will be the first training session with the players who started against Villa. We will know more this afternoon.
Courtesy of Declan Rice
Not yet, and we have another session today, so let’s see how you come in today and how you feel, but [the Villa] it was too early in the game for him.
In Calafiori and Mosquera
They both went out.
In the competition ahead
It helps the team, it helps everyone. I think that’s what we’re looking for, a choice in the number of games we have in the program. Until now, we didn’t have that, so we’re looking forward to having everyone in it, everyone playing and being able to change profiles during the game as well, and choosing the best players every time.
On a few cards this season
We know how important it is to keep your 11 players on the field as much as possible, and we failed to do that last year. We lost both games against them [Bournemouth] and we know the difficulty of that. We know what a good team they are, how they can threaten you in every area, so we know the difficulty of the game tomorrow.
In the January transfer window
We are open to all options. It is clear that if we can find a short, medium and long solution, it is always better because it gives you stability and it is not necessary to always start the program with a new player, but let’s see what happens, let’s see what the news is in the next few weeks and we will try to make the right decision.
On Ethan Nwaneri and a possible loan move
Every player is very important, every player has his role. That role can change throughout the season for different reasons and everyone has to be ready to play.
On Enzo Maresca leaving Chelsea
I wish him all the best. I really like Enzo as a person, as a professional I think he did a great job at Chelsea. That is a decision that has been made and I wish him all the best.
In the air in the squad
It was great after the game against a good opposition team, and to do well and win the way we did, it’s great. We are now focused on Bournemouth, we know how tough it will be tomorrow, and everyone will be there.
With two defeats against Bournemouth last season
They were two very different games. Obviously the game, until the 30th minute when Saliba was sent off surprisingly, it was a different game that we managed. We had chances but we managed to lose the game against the home show at the beginning, that was too strong and that ended up being bad for us. So, we have a lot to learn, a lot of respect for them. Andoni I know well and what he does, I think it’s amazing. I look at all the games they played this season against the top teams, how they made it difficult and how they haven’t got the results against them and it’s hard to understand.
In the form of Leandro Trossard
I think he’s been consistent, he’s been stable but like all the top players, I can say because they’ve played a big role throughout the season so far, whether it’s starting or as an impact player. So, that’s what we need. Wherever we put them, they will bring different qualities to the team but I think they are in good time.
For players who are hungry to start
Yes, they want to start but also to fulfill their role when they have to enter in an unusual way. That is something that we have improved a lot so every time we bring the players to the field they decide the games. That’s what we need.
It remains four points at the top
This is where we are and we are really happy with the situation we are in. It can always be better. There are things that need to be improved and what we know is that it is always the next game and we know how difficult it is for every opponent to beat.
With the consistency it takes to win titles
Yes, but it’s only early January so we still have another five months to go and we still have a lot to do.
About how much you talked to the players about good behavior before the season
I think we can talk about it but in the end it’s the players’ decisions and sometimes it’s not even their decision. So, yes, we’ve had times since I’ve been here where we’ve had a lot of red cards and then we’re not there, so that’s changed. We know how important it is to have stability in that behavior, and to have the opportunity to play regularly with 11 players. We try to add as much as possible.
Through the use of various materials by Declan Rice
I think it’s a great thing for him, for the club, for the team and for football in general – a player with that mentality, adaptability and qualities that can fulfill different roles, and he makes it even better as a team.
In ‘anticipated terms’
It’s another one, but like I said, it’s a very variable number. There are other groups that have been doing it excessively for a long time, is it sustainable? No, it doesn’t, but it will change the variables and you can see throughout the game how that changes too. So 60, 70, 80 minutes is what you did in the last 10. So it’s a formula, you can use it however you want. For us there are many other things that are more important than that.
It’s open if Rice should come on against Brighton
No, no, that’s normal. Sometimes you get hit and, in every game, you can, with adrenaline and because you’re warm, you can back that up. Then the body reacts, and it reacted probably more than we expected, unfortunately, and that’s where we are.
In the way he reacts to injury
First, what can we do better? Second is the authenticity of the game we are playing. But if we look back over the last three seasons, we’ve had fewer injury days than ever before. So, the way you look at it. We have injuries that you have to distinguish between painful and muscle injuries, and we have to improve, but we are better than other years.
Another option as players return
In the end, I think we should talk about performance, not circulation. We want to perform, the highest performance, every three days or every game and that’s what we have to look for and to achieve that, the best players, in the best shape, with the best relationships to achieve that.
If Trossard is promoted
I think he’s getting better every season. He is a brilliant player, he is a player you really want, he has found his role, he has found his maturity here and I think his confidence level is high, he is a player who can create moments of magic and a very important player for us.
With a new contract likely Trossard
We are very happy for him, you know we have talked about it many times and I think he is very happy here as well.
On the importance of “finishing” off the bench
The most important thing is that you don’t know if you will be a coach, a starter or sometimes you have to come in because a player gets injured in the warm-up, so you have to be ready. It’s a pleasure because the players are really, really willing to participate in whatever role they have on the day and that’s what we need.
Arsenal have not won the league in the last five times to be on top on New Year’s Day
No, let’s break up.
In converting that equation
Definitely. Give me a better one next time!
How the players want to change that
That is what they convey every day when they are with us, in training or in every game. You can see the desire, you can see the energy they put in, how much they want it, and that’s what we need. It’s still five months away, so take it day by day, enjoy that process of being where we are and go through it.
