Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke to the press ahead of his side’s game away to Bournemouth coming up next in the Premier League.
The Gunners are now four points clear at the top of the table after beating Aston Villa 4-1 in their last game, while Manchester City dropped points away to 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
Any new injury news
No, we haven’t trained yet, so today’s going to be the first training session with the players who started against Villa. We will know more this afternoon.
On Declan Rice’s fitness
Not yet, and we have another session today, so let’s see how he comes in today and how that’s feeling, but [the Villa] game was too early for him.
On Calafiori and Mosquera
They are both out.
On competition up front
It helps the team; it helps every individual. I think that’s what we want, to have options with the number of games we have on the schedule. So far, we haven’t had that, so we’re looking forward to having everybody on it, everybody performing and being able to change profiles during the game as well, and to pick players in the best conditions every time.
On fewer cards this season
We know how important it is to maintain your 11 players on the pitch as much as possible, and we failed to do that last year. We lost both games against [Bournemouth], and we know the difficulty of that. We know how good a team they are, how they can threaten you from every angle, so we know the difficulty of the game tomorrow.
On the January transfer window
We are open to every option. Obviously if we can find a solution that is short, medium and long, it’s always much better because it gives you stability and you don’t have to constantly start a process with a new player, but let’s see what happens; let’s see what the news is in the next few weeks, and we’ll try to make the right decision.
On Ethan Nwaneri and a possible loan move
Every player is very important; every player has a role. That role can change throughout the season for different reasons, and everybody 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’s done a terrific job at Chelsea. That’s a decision that has been made, and I just wish him all the best.
On the mood in the squad
It was very good after the game against really top opposition; again, to perform and to win in the manner that we did was great. Now we focus on Bournemouth; we know how tough it’s going to be tomorrow, and everybody is going to be at it.
On losing twice to Bournemouth last season
They were two very different games. Obviously a game that, until the 30th minute when Saliba gets surprisingly sent off, was a different game that we managed. We had some chances, but we managed to lose the game against a home display at the beginning, which was very dominant, and that ended up in a really poor way for us. So, a lot to learn, huge respect for them. I know Andoni really well and what he’s doing; I think it’s incredible. I’m watching all the games that they played this season and against the top sides; how difficult they made it and how they haven’t got results against them as well is difficult to understand.
On Leandro Trossard’s form
I think he’s been very consistent and very stable, as have all of the front players, I would say, because they have contributed through the season so far in a great way, whether it’s starting or whether as an impact player as well. So, that’s what we need. Wherever we put them, they will bring different qualities to the team, but I think they’re in a great moment.
On players hungry to start
Yeah, to want to start but also fulfil their role when they have to come in in an extraordinary way. That’s something that we have improved a lot, so every time we bring in players on the pitch, they’re really deciding the games. That’s what we need.
On being four points clear at the top
It’s where we are, and we are really happy in the position that we are in. It can always be better. There are things to improve, and the only thing we know is that it’s always the next game, and we know how tough it is for every opponent to beat them.
On the consistency required to win titles
Yes, but we are still in early January, so we have another five months to go, and so far we have to do much more.
On how much he’s spoken to players about discipline ahead of the season
I think we can talk about it, but at the end it’s the players’ decisions, and sometimes it’s not even their decision. So, yeah, we’ve had periods since I’ve been here when we had quite a lot of red cards and then none, so that has fluctuated. We know how important it is to have that stability in that discipline, as well as having the possibility to play constantly with 11 players. We try to add as much as possible.
On Declan Rice’s versatility
I think it’s a very positive thing for him, for the team, for the club and in general in football – a player that has that mindset, that capacity to adapt and that has attributes that can fulfil different roles, and he makes it much better as a team.
On ‘expected goals’
It’s another one, but as I said before, it’s a stat that fluctuates so much. There are other teams that were overperforming it for a big time, so is it sustainable? No, it’s not, but it will change the dynamic, and then you see throughout the game how that changes as well. So for 60, 70, or 80 minutes, what you’ve done in the last 10. So it’s a stat; you can use it in the manner that you want. For us there are many other things much more important than that.
On if Rice should have come off vs Brighton
No, no, that’s normal. Sometimes you get a hit, and throughout the game, you are able, with adrenaline and because you are warm, to sustain that. Then the body reacts, and it reacted probably more than we expected, unfortunately, and that’s where we are.
On how he reacts to injuries
First thing, what can we do better? The second thing is the reality of the sport that we play. But looking back at the last three seasons, we have had fewer days of injuries than before. So, it’s how you look at it. We have injuries, and you have to separate the traumatic ones and the ones that are muscle injuries, and we have to improve, but we are better than some other years.
One more options as players return
At the end, I think we have to talk about performance, not rotation. We want performance, the highest performance, every three days or throughout the game, and that’s what we have to look at, and in order to achieve that, who are the best players, in the best condition, with the best relationship to fulfil that?
On if Trossard has gone up a level
I think he’s gone up a level every season. He’s such an intelligent player; he’s a player that really wants it; he’s found his role; he’s found his maturity here, and then I think his confidence level is higher. He’s a player that can create magic moments and a very important player for us.
On a possible new contract for Trossard
We are very happy with him; he knows that we talked about it many times, and I think he’s very happy here as well.
On the importance of “finishers” coming off the bench
It’s very important, and you don’t know if you’re going to be a finisher or a starter, or sometimes you have to come in because a player gets injured in the warm-up, so that’s how ready you have to be. It’s a joy because the players are really committed and really willing to participate in whatever role they have on the day, and that’s what we need.
On Arsenal not winning the league the last five times they were top on New Year’s Day
No. Let’s break it.
On changing that statistic
For sure. Give me some good ones next time!
On how desperate the players are to change that
That’s what they transmit every single day when they’re with us, training or in every match. You can see the desire, you can see the energy they put in, and you can see how much they want it, and that’s what we need. It’s still five months to go, so take it day by day, enjoy that process of being where we are and go for it.
