Mikel Arteta answers questions ahead of a pivotal home fixture against Crystal Palace after a statement win in the Champions League versus Atletico Madrid
Post-Atletico Team News:
“Big Gabi had to leave the pitch with an issue and he hasn’t been able to train yet so let’s see how he evolves over the next 24 hours whether he’s available or not over the weekend.”
On Madueke, Odegaard, Havertz & Jesus:
“They are all progressing really well, they are all super willing to be available as quick as possible, but at the moment none of them are yet in contention over the next week or so.”
Arteta on whether there’s a motivation to break Chelsea’s defensive record:
“Yeah we want these kind of records we are getting a lot, at the end they bring the silverware and the trophies that we want. Obviously the more we can produce the closer we are going to be to achieve what we want to do. That defensive record is very good but we need to be consistent, it’s only just the start of the season and the aim is to continue improving things which we can do still to be even better.”
On Eze coming up against his former club this weekend:
“It’s a big game for us, because last season we dropped some points and it’s the fourth game in a row that we’re going to play against opponents that we drop points against, and this season we’ve been able to beat them, so our focus is on that. We know that for Ebs it’s going to be a very special match, with the history and what he did for Palace. But the focus is on the team.”
Arteta’s approach to our newfound selection headaches:
“There are two sides to it. One, the emotional part and my attachment with the individual, with the person, and I would love to play all of them. But the second one, obviously, without a question of doubt, Id rather have this situation than the situation we had in the last few years when, at some point, we were very short in numbers. So we have created a very strong environment, a really competitive and supportive environment that hopefully can challenge to be very competitive in every game. That’s the aim, and that’s what we want to achieve, and we just all go towards that direction.”
On containing Mateta:
“First of all, it’s what they do as a team, their level of organisation. They have very clear intentions of how they want to attack and which moment they use to attack and to hurt opponents. So stopping the source is probably the best way. When you get into certain situations with him, one-v-one, you know that he’s very prolific and he’s been very, very successful, especially recently.”
On whether only scoring five goals from open play so far is an issue:
“No, not at all, because I don’t see football like open play and set pieces. I see the game in a different way.”
On how we’ve mastered our set-pieces:
“With work. First of all, creating the culture, giving that part of the game the importance that it has. Understanding that, again, football is evolving and the opponents are behaving against us, we have to maximise certain things that happen very frequently.
So something that happens very frequently has a lot of value to us, so trying to maximise that and be effective.”
When the value of set pieces became clear:
“Ten years ago, I think it has to be, I wasn’t here but 10 years ago I said it’s a massive thing to do that, and I started to have a vision and try to implement a method and try to be surrounded by the best people to deliver that.”
Whether Wenger’s back four is the model for Arsenal’s success in 2025:
“I go back through the history of football in general and the teams that have the best defensive record, most of the time, except for the last three seasons in the Premier League, which we did, normally, you win the league. So just go against those stats. But the stronger we are in that foundation, the bigger the probability of winning games is.”
On if things should remain the same during a successful run:
“They are far from perfect and there are a lot of things we must do better. Obviously, there are a lot of things that we’re doing very, very well and we need to maintain that. So it’s just about understanding that the margins to win football games at this level are very small. In certain moments, we have lost, in certain moments, we have fully deserved to win them. But that’s not going to be the same trajectory all the way in the season and we need to be prepared for that. So the more alert we are, the more urgency we have, the more desire we have for the next game, we’re going to be in a better place to win the game.”
On the role the Emirates Stadium atmosphere plays in the title race:
“Key, capital, one of the most important things and I love that because we don’t expect supporters to turn up to the stadium. We want them just to play the game with us, which is very different. In order to do that, you have to be in your seat with a certain behaviour, with a certain body language and it’s a good test, Sunday at 2pm, how were going to turn up after a big Champions League game. If we’re going to go to another step and do something that we didn’t do last year, everybody has to turn up to the stadium with that mindset, so that’s what | want to see.”
On what it’s like to play against a former club:
“There is something in your tummy. There is history, there are a lot of emotions, there are very close relationships. You might think once you step in there and you go with that mindset, someday, you have even more will to win because you made that decision to be successful and to achieve something else in your career, and I’m sure Ebs is going to be ready for that.”
On set-pieces becoming clearer as assistant coach:
“I went to City with the best manager in the world and I could see where we could have improvements and it was clear because at some point I was doing that and I wasn’t the best person in the world to do it, so if I’m not the best person in the world to do it and the best method to do it, there are ways to improve it. And you could see straight afterwards when it started to happen, but it’s not only obsessed with that, I’m the same with the defensive part in every transition, I want to be the best. When it comes to chaos, I want to be the best. When it comes to positional attack, the best, when it comes to low blocks, the best and that’s the eagerness to constantly find ways to develop your team, to evolve your team and to give your players more tools to be unpredictable and especially more efficient.”
On Rice’s all-around game:
“Again, I heard some quotes that he made that this season his position has changed a little bit, and I disagree with that because his position has evolved, and he is becoming a total player. A total player has to be able to do as many things as possible and he has the capacity to do that. So that’s to evolve a player, to start to bring something else to the team, and especially when you talk about scoring goals, expecting the opposition goal, even better, and he’s been instrumental in our improvement in that part of the game.”
On what Zubimendi brings to the midfield:
“Well, every player is different. We have some terrific midfielders here. He brings certain hierarchy, certain composure that’s very difficult to understand, and then the way he perceives information and learns from the game and what is actually happening in the game at that speed is remarkable, and I think, again, about him it was about unlocking certain spaces and his capacity to look further and to hold the position when his teammates are further from the ball than himself. And then, yeah, if he can add goals to it, even better.”
On if he has more to give:
“A lot more, and the more he understands his teammates, the timing of that and those relationships build, I think we’ll see another level of skill in him.”
On the interconnected nature of open play and set-pieces:
“And the other way around. Football is like this. Football doesn’t stop. Its all connected. You want to see the game like this? OK. I don’t.”
On if teams are starting to buy into set pieces as much as him:
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t mean that it’s more important. It’s equally important. But what happens is what happens frequently in your games, and that’s the thing that you have to really dominate, and that’s the opportunity to hurt your opposition. So, we have to train and make sure that the things that are good for us happen very, very often because it will be more difficult for the opponent. But, I mean, I think everybody tries to do the same.”
On mainstreaming his set piece ideas over the last 10 years:
“No, no. It’s not about that football. It’s using those moments, and if you cannot generate other moments, make sure that you use these ones. But I think its something that relates as well to the culture of the coach, the environment, and then the players that you have, and everything has to be aligned. I mean, if you want to have a certain approach to the way you play the game, for example, we are super aggressive, you better sign and educate and train situations when the team can deliver that. Because if not, if you want to be a team that do really good high press, you better be the best in the world at tracking back, because at some point, the ball is going to break your press. So you have to have players who are able to deliver that. So it’s all in relation to what you want to do. You have to acquire and have and evolve the players in that direction.”
On if we’re in the 5th phase:
“No, this is not about the phases. The phases was something else.”
On if it’s possible to break Chelsea’s record of 15 goals conceded:
“You mentioned the word “if” three times in that question. And in football, if, if, if is too many ifs. It’s so unpredictable already. So on top of that, you put ifs, then it becomes extremely difficult to focus on the things that we are doing. We are doing consistently well and if we can improve them and lets see where we are at the end of the season.”
On only conceding one goal from open play:
“Obviously it’s something that is super positive. If it’s the first time that has happened in our history, imagine how difficult it is to do it. So, yeah, we are very, very happy to be performing at that level in a really important part of the game, especially, and now it’s about continuing to do it.”