Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal injuries, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, 'I'm on fire' claim

Here is every word Mikel Arteta said during his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal vs Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League.

Mikel Arteta spoke to the media ahead of Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg clash with Sporting CP. The Gunners have a one-goal lead going into the game.

Form and mood, however, are low following a huge defeat at the weekend in the Premier League to Bournemouth. Naturally, there were question marks over how his side had reacted in the wake of the defeat.

There were also questions over the status of some players whose injuries remain a factor. Reporters observed open training where Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori.

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Here is every word the Arsenal manager said during the press conference:

Before we do the exciting stuff, can we talk about the team news please? Any good news to bring Arsenal fans? Obviously Declan Rice not seen in training.

Yes, we have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how fit the boys are and make the right decision with them.

What's Declan's issue?

I don't want to do that. We have to wait and see how he is tomorrow but obviously he wasn't available to train.

Any chance of Saka or Timber being back potentially tonight?

Maybe one of them, let's see.

How do you reflect now on Saturday and the weekend's results? What have you said to the players and how have they responded in training?

Obviously, it was a big disappointment and a hard one to take. Especially losing at home when we had the opportunity to make that gap bigger and bring more certainty and get into this week in the best possible manner. What we are trying to achieve is difficult, is challenging, is bumpy at times and it's supposed to be like this. So you have to confront it and what I basically said, ‘Guys we are trying to do something in this competition that hasn't been done in the history of the club in 140 years. So that tells you the difficulty of that and what you guys are doing [getting to two successive Champions League semi-finals]. It's the first time that we are three years in a row in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The first time in our history (since 2010).

For other clubs, that's the daily meal. For us, no. So we value a lot where we are. We have the opportunity tomorrow to go to the semi-finals. We are competing to win the Premier League and we are in a really strong position. After 22 years without doing it.

So we know the difficulty of that, but the beauty of it is that it's difficult, that it's challenging, and that's why we are so willing to do it.

You talk about back-to-back semi-finals in the Champions League and the Premier League. There is so much at stake. It sounds like it's going to be really hard just to get over, almost mentally, to get over the line. Once you do that, the mental challenge of doing it and achieving it can bring so much reward down the line.

Yeah, but there are things that we've done. I repeat myself, we haven't been in this position in the Champions League ever in our history [to get to two successive semi-finals]. So we have overcome a lot of hurdles. Hurdles that were here for 140 years.

So the team is doing something incredible because it's never been done before. So we are going to go to the next step for sure. We have the ambition more than anybody else and that's where the beauty lies, on doing it. And we are there and we are very, very close.

What do you want from the team tomorrow in terms of performance and from the crowd? Because it feels like there's a little bit of stress on Saturday. So there is so much at stake, there's so much excitement, Champions League quarter-final. What would you like to say to the crowd and the players about what you want?

No fear. Pure fire. That's it. Me, the first one. Pure fire. That's what I want to see on the players, on the people, on myself. That's it. Go for it because the opportunity is unbelievable. We are in April, we have an incredible opportunity ahead of us. Let's confront it, let's go for it by really putting absolutely everything into it.

Can you give us an idea of your overriding emotions just now? Is there any worry, anxiety or is it more...

Fire! I'm on fire. I'm on fire. That's it. Nothing else. I'm dreaming so much. I've done so much to be in this position because I know how this club was. I've done so much against anything that this is beauty. I just see beauty, opportunity, and I want to get it done for all these people that have been in this journey with us. And because they deserve it, because it's been unbelievable. That's what has driven me every single day. I have zero fear. Fear I had when, ‘Oh, if we don't get this done, this club, I don't know what is going to happen.’

That was fear. Now, there's no fear. It's just purpose, fire, direction and conviction that we're going to do it.

Are you seeing this fire in your players?

Yes. Yes, big time.

You often use innovative methods to motivate your players. Whether you watch it or not, there's a lot of noise. There's pundits, there's ex-players, there's even a City fan. I don't know whether you've seen it, at Stamford Bridge, drinking out of an Arsenal bottle.

One fan, you mean? Yes. So we have to be one fan that says something. Over 60,000 are incredible every time I’m at the Emirates. I don't get moved by that.

But do you maybe show your players this?

No, I show them all the players and people that lost this play for what they are doing that is unprecedented in this club. That's where I put them.

Just finally, Mikel, it's six and a half years nearly you've been here at the club. Is this the biggest, maybe the most challenging week?

The biggest opportunity of six and a half years, yeah.

I know you mentioned fire there, but last week you mentioned composure. I'm just wondering when you spoke about that, was it more in terms of on-pitch stuff or just in general around the club, everybody, not just the players?

No. It was a comment made in a certain context, talking about certain qualities, but not something that I have to demand to anybody.

And you've also spoken about the players needing to deal with shifts in momentum in matches a little bit better. Is that something you think is linked to composure in any way?

Sometimes it's to an action. I don't know how many actions the other week where we break the opposition press. In a lot of situations, we have the next advantage to go with so much space to run, and we give the ball away. It turns out to be a counter-attack. These are the moments that shift momentum and shifts the emotional state of the game as well for both teams. And that's what we have to look at as well.

And just on Declan, I know you didn't want to get into specifics, but it seemed like in the second half he had an awkward landing. Was that part of his issue?

Well, he's played a lot of games, and that's part of the issue. But he's going to try to do everything that he possibly can to be with us tomorrow. That’s for sure.

I think everyone in this room knows why you don't want to give too much away on the team news front. And obviously that generally is how you like to answer those questions. But the sense I get from supporters is there's a bit of frustration that they're going to the ground. They don't know what the line-up's going to be. Maybe they're disappointed not to see a player they thought could really help. Could you explain to supporters why you are so closed off when it comes to the team news?

I don't see that from the supporters at all. And I know a lot of the groups. I don't have that feeling.

We could agree to disagree, but I think there are supporters that feel that way.

Well, yeah, because from 60,000, but the majority of that, they are so happy to see the team regardless of who plays. Because no manager, I think, if you give me a press conference when they give the line-up, they will talk about a different thing. But I don't think it's the case.

Is that one Saka picked up in the Carabao Cup final, or was he carrying it before that?

It was something he was carrying for a while, yeah.

It was an Achilles issue.

And I think you said last week you hoped he'd be back for Bournemouth. Has there been any setback with that?

No. It is his progression, but hopefully it's going to be a matter of days and not weeks. But he has to see when he's loading more, how he responds to that kind of progression.

And are we at the stage of the season where you need players to sort of make themselves available and play through the pain, even if that means taking risks?

They are trying to do that, and we know how important availability is in this crucial period of the season. Obviously, we've been missing four or five starters now for weeks, which has an impact. So that's why we need them back, that's for sure.

You mentioned the opportunities that you had to play through Bournemouth's press, and then how the ball was given away and the moves would break down. Now you've had some time to look back at that game, and obviously, you want to see a response going forward. How much of what you think the recent struggles have been are down to tactical approach versus player performance and execution?

I'm not going to get into that, I understand the question and it's good. But there is always a balance between the two, and there is no plan without execution. Again, it's about the decision that is made on the moment and how good that execution is in relation to the decision. Otherwise, especially when you are attacking, there is very little end product.

And you mentioned that you're feeling sort of fire, and obviously your intentions going into Saturday were to help boost the atmosphere. In hindsight, is there a chance that by making every game into a cup final, that it adds to the tension?

I never mentioned a cup final, but I think obviously the importance of every game, we know what it is. We've done the same in September, in October, in November, in the Champions League last year. I think the outcome of what you are trying to achieve at the end, or the success or failure of your intention, is based on a result. And you have to accept that, because this is football.

When a team loses, there is a temptation to look at what went wrong, look at the mistakes, how can we improve those things. But is there also maybe an emphasis, instead of looking back on performances like against Bayern or Atletico, games where you've really dominated and done so well. We talked last week about identity, so have you reminded the players how good they can be?

Yes, and I try to do that as much as possible, especially in moments when they need to see that. Because the first reaction, as you mentioned, is to look at the negative things that we've done, that didn't allow us to win the game. But again, reinforce them, what they've done so well for nine months to be in this position.

Obviously, this is a big week with two huge games. How challenging is it when you've got two huge games in that space of time, to keep the focus on just the next one, rather than both of them?

The first one is that big and that important to get into the semi-final of the Champions League again, that there is no time to find space for the weekend, that's for sure.

Pep Guardiola mentioned that he's doing well this period of time because of the sun. Why is it the opposite in April, especially for Arsenal? Why this period of time?

We love the sun as well, especially. But then in sun, we have to win the games with the sun or no sun. In September it was very sunny as well.

You mentioned about being in the quarter-final for three years in a row. Have you felt the need to remind the players a little bit about what they've already achieved? Because everybody's talking about the next few weeks and what they can do, but is it a useful moment to say to them how far you've come?

No, but I think what I love as well about where we are is that there is no satisfaction about it. You haven't asked me any questions like, congratulations, you're going to be in the Champions League next year. Now it's like we take it for granted. I am assuming for the next 20 years of this club we're going to be taking it for granted that you are fighting for titles in April, that's OK. But it's difficult to do it. And I do value a lot what the players are doing, that's for sure.

Congratulations, you're going to be in the Champions League next year. I should say that.

Thank you so much.

Can I just ask you one about bits of your career? After the game on Saturday, you mentioned that you felt the pitch was a bit dry. And I wondered if you felt that was an issue, and obviously that's something you can rectify at home.

After losing a match, I learned some lessons. And after losing a match, don't talk about anything else than this, because he's coming back. Thank you, great question.

Thanks, I'm just going back to what you've been speaking about, about how Arsenal are making history, effectively, with all these quarter-finals. Do you think that the pile-on since Sunday has just been unfair and unwarranted, given where you are at the moment?

I love the dissatisfaction of that, that we want much more, that this is why we are here. But as well, we need certain perspectives, especially the players need a perspective of where they are in the Champions League and in the Premier League, 14th April. And that's a reality. And we need to embrace that, and it's supposed to be like this, because the higher you are, obviously, the bumpier it gets and more demanding. And the line is thinner between being the best and being the worst. It's really, really thin, and you have to cope with that.

And also, presumably, I suppose it's an energy or motivation to prove those doubters as well, that people are saying that Arsenal might not do it again.

The motivation is to give to the people that they deserve, they are with us, what they are looking for. Not for the rest, the energy is on these people. And they are the ones that deserve it.

I want to ask you about Sporting CP. What surprised you the most at the first match?

No surprises. It's obviously the understanding of the quality that they have, and the different ways that they have to help you. They had a really, really good side, we knew that, they proved that in the first leg, and we know that tomorrow is going to be a really tough match.

I'd like to ask you, what kind of Sporting do you expect tomorrow? Because they are 1-0 down. What kind of Sporting do you expect? Hjulmand will be on the team. Do you expect more difficulties?

Yeah, the approach that they will have, I think they are always trying to be a team that is very, very dominant through their press, through the ball, and the longer the game goes in relation to the context of the game, they can approach and answer that like they've done in the league. So, regarding to the result, they will modify that. We are ready for that as well, and we will apply what is necessary to win the game.