Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal injuries, title race and special Bournemouth request

Here is every word Mikel Arteta said ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth, including injury updates, a title-defining weekend and more.

Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of his Arsenal side’s Premier League match with Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium. Speaking at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, the Gunners’ manager had plenty to discuss.

There is no doubting the importance of the weekend ahead, as Arsenal can move 12 points clear at the top of the table. Manchester City’s trip to Chelsea could be influenced by the Gunners playing first, considering when they beat Everton, what followed was a slip by their rivals at West Ham, but City responded in the League Cup final with a win.

There were several updates on players, too, with Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori having missed the Thursday media training day. Yet there was some good news as Eberechi Eze returned to the action and is in contention.

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Here is every word Mikel Arteta said in his pre-match press conference:

Can we start off with team news, first of all? We were filming Open Training yesterday. No Bukayo, no Martin Odegaard, no Jurrien Timber or Calafiori. Are any of those available for tomorrow?

Yeah, there've been changing since yesterday.

And all four available?

I don't know. Some of them.

Okay. Eberechi Eze was there. How big a boost is it to have him back?

He's available.

Does that surprise you? Is it ahead of schedule?

He has, but my first conversation with him after he felt that niggle, he wanted to be available the next week. We knew that that was impossible, but the recovery, I think the will that he's shown from day one to get back as quick as possible, how he's pushed the medical staff and himself to be there tomorrow, it's just great to watch.

And Piero Hincapie is still out, is he?

There will be changes tomorrow. Good try.

Can I, then, Mikel, ask you about your relationship with your players and the trust that you have with your players? And the context I want to ask you this question is, how much did you have to pick them up, yourself, after Southampton and City, and how much did you leave them to it?

I think it's a balance. As I said the other day, I think it's better to observe first, you know, to see the natural reaction, to see what we are made of, to see what is the first instinct, collective and individually, from players, after understanding that we didn't have all season.

And then you can intervene based on that. But we felt they didn't need much because their reaction was tough, as I said before. The understanding of why we lost those matches and how we were going to pull it right, and I think it was a really good reaction against Sporting.

You play before City this weekend. If you win, you go 12 points clear. How big an opportunity do you see this as, and how big a psychological blow do you feel you can strike against City if you were to win?

Yeah, the closer we get, the relevance and importance of the match increases, obviously, and tomorrow is a big day for us. The players know it, our supporters know it. 12:30 kick-off. It's an early kick-off, so get up early, have an early breakfast, bring your lunch, bring your dinner, and let's go all together for it because it has to be a big day.

You spoke on Tuesday about the pride you have working with the people that you do. Would you say that that pride and that unity is tested or reinforced when you have difficult moments like you just had?

I think reinforced because that talks about your culture and the identity of this club and the team, and to define that, you have to go through different scenarios, different moments, individually and collectively. I always said that that's one of the proudest things that I have, not only with the people but our supporters as well. They've always been with the team regardless of the situation, and that's rare to see in football.

I'm sure you will want that to continue for longer. Is there anything you can tell us with regard to your contract?

I think that attitude and that behaviour and that unity gives you more will to win for them. That possibility and opportunity to make so many people proud and happy increases, and that's what has driven everybody. Me, first of all, and then all the players and the people in the organisation.

You might have missed what I just said at the end about your contract. If there was anything you can tell us, have there been any talks about a new deal?

No, there's no news on that. I think we have no time to discuss that now. The full focus is on what we have to do from here until the end of the season.

Just finally, you've always spoken about getting your players to create their own history. How much belief do you have that they can do something they haven't done for 22 years and win the league, and do something that they've never done and win the Champions League?

A lot, because I see them every single day. First of all, the capacity that we have as a club, as a team. Again, the will to win. We recognise the opportunity ahead, and we're going to do our best to try to achieve it.

I'm sure you saw the other reports linking a couple of young players with moves in the summer, Myles and Ethan. I just wondered, how difficult is it for you to manage the ambition to become a club that is a dominant force challenging for titles, whilst also keeping the DNA of the club there? Because fans are so invested in these young Hale End boys and want to see them do well. You see the likes of Saka almost fulfilling a dream of many. How do you strike that balance?

It's part of us. I think at the end, what it has to define this football club is to seek for the excellence and to seek for the best, regardless of whether you're coming from the academy or from abroad. At the end, if we can have players from Hale End, obviously much better because the identity is there. We grow with them, and they know exactly what we're looking for. But then they have to earn it, and not for a week, not for a month, not for years like anybody else. It doesn't matter what department or role you have in the club. At the end, you have to sustain performance and that has to be at the very highest level. If we want to win sustainably, we want to win.

Given the success that Arsenal has had in challenging for the Premier League in recent years, do you feel the period of time for those younger players to prove to you that they should be a part of that is maybe becoming shorter because the margins are finer?

The margins are shorter, but we're doing something as well that is unprecedented. We have players that played in competitions that nobody else has done at that age. I think the balance is there. We are doing everything that we can to accommodate that, especially because they deserve the opportunity, which is the best thing. Nobody is here to give a gift, an opportunity to somebody that doesn't deserve it. Everybody that has been in and around the first team, they deserve to be there.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, you've already drummed up the enthusiasm. You want fans there. Maybe they should have an early Friday night as well to make sure they get there on time for the kick-off. Bournemouth are on this 11 game unbeaten run. When you come up against someone, Iraola, from the same part of Spain as you, there is the rivalry there, but do you also have a sense of pride that you've got someone from your home area also doing incredible things in the league?

Yes, it's amazing what is done together with the club. The consistency that they've shown, the manner that they've done it, the amount of players that they've sold, how they have reinvented themselves. The run that they are in is incredible because we now have the Premier League. When it comes down to pride, it's huge. When it comes to rivalry on matchday, it's even bigger.

Can I ask you about the 12:30 kick-off? As mentioned, I think the fans received an email yesterday encouraging them to be there in their droves and be there in the right state of mind. What is it about the 12:30 kick-off that proves so challenging?

I don't know, but I think for every game we have to be there. We know the meaning of every match here and the opportunity that we have, especially when we play at home. We need to maximise every result. It's about each individual, how we turn up there. It's not about being in the stadium, it's actually impacting the game, the atmosphere and the energy in that stadium. That's very different. Whoever goes there tomorrow, I will please ask them to be with that mindset, with that energy and commitment, because the team is going to respond beautifully to that.

You've done a lot of travelling this season. There was a period where you played four away games in a row. You then had Wembley, Southampton and then Lisbon. You've now got, besides City and the Champions League games, the rest of your games are all in London in the Premier League. How much of a benefit is that?

We need to exploit that and use that advantage. As you said, we travelled so much during the last nine months and now it's not going to be that much as well. We're going to have two clean weeks in between now and the final game of the season. That's something very positive, let's use it.

On Eze, I was just wondering, in this time with him being out, have you grown to understand him even more and what aspects of him as a person?

Great question. One of them, I didn't know that he was so determined, so obsessed, and so willing to push his body. I didn't know that part of him, and it really surprised me in a really powerful way. How much he loves the game. When you take somebody's opportunity to play, you really see their reaction. His was, wow! How involved he was in and around the team, the energy that he brings every day in the building. And then we use that time as well, obviously, to identify areas where he can impact the game, get his opinion wide and open about what he sees himself, what he's more comfortable, what he sees about the team. And I think we use that time in a really good way.

Are those things he identified similar to the spaces and areas he was in when he was in form just before he got injured?

Yeah, that's on the attacking side, but there are other areas as well that obviously he didn't feel they were that important or things that we discussed that probably in other teams he hasn't discussed as that vital and important to change games or to win football matches. He recognises that and he's such an intelligent person and so easy to talk to him.

You place a big emphasis on your finishers and that's obviously paid off this season. Has he got to a stage, particularly in the tap, where sometimes you almost make some line-up decisions in reverse, deciding who you want to come off the bench or almost as much who you want to start?

There are games that is yes, not only for the impact but as well for some physical restrictions that we can have or to find some freshness or the type of position plays as well and how we can adapt to what they do or we can help them and that's a big part when we have the players that we have and we have players available obviously to do that is a big advantage.

In Lisbon, Gabi Martinelli particularly looked really sharp off the bench. What, I guess, are the traits that make him so effective in that finish role?

Well, first of all, his mentality and Gabi is a winner. Gabi is someone that it doesn't matter what you're doing out there, he wants to be the best and when he starts, great. When he doesn't, he's still the same specimen and wants to win and he will do anything to win. That's what I love about him.

Do you see your long-term future being here? I mean, Arsenal are doing so well this season, I love them and there's been interest from other clubs but you are totally committed to Arsenal?

Yeah, I'm fully committed here. I'm really happy and I feel good. My family is good. I still have so much ambition and things to do in this football club and for now we are in a good place.

This club's got a pretty remarkable record against five managers in the last 40 years. People are asking, doing 20 plus years. Do you see yourself being in that job for as long as that?

I'm going to take what I said to the fans, bring your lunch, bring your dinner. It's about tomorrow once you finish. This is this job. It's about the presence, what you do on the day. Give your very best and feel that you are the person as well that can lead and inspire the group to achieve great things for the club. At the moment I feel that way and hopefully when I feel that way for the rest of the week, with a great outcome at the end of the season.

Can I ask you about Mikel Merino? You said it would be first time in Spain as well, how complicated that injury was and how rare it was. I'm just wondering, we're in April now obviously, how that recovery is, what sort of stage he's at with the recovery, and are you hopeful we might see him again this season?

Well he's another one that is going to push every boundary. He's out of his boot now, he's doing quite a lot of exercises already. He's reacted really well to the surgery; he's got no pain. It's more for the medical staff to go a bit further on that but I'm sure there is a chance to make that period shorter if there is a person that can do it. I'm sure that's going to be Mikel again.

Just on Aaron Ramsey, I think it's the first time we've spoken since he announced his retirement from football. One of the key players of the Emirates era at Arsenal, your former team mate of course, scored us some historic goals at this club. I just wondered if you wanted to say any words on Aaron and the career that he enjoyed?

Well again, a long career, a career full of great moments, full of challenges and again that's another one when you see those difficult moments, how he reacted to them, how he overcame certain situations that looked very, very difficult. Top character, top guy, a very good team mate of mine and yeah, what a career he's had with different clubs in this country as well. I think that life starts and I wish him all the best.

In the corresponding fixture, last season, you lost 2-1 to Bournemouth on two set-piece goals. How important is it to rectify that again in this game moving forward? And then obviously winning the game tomorrow, how important is that?

Yeah, we need to learn certainly that lesson and away from home as well, we conceded a set-piece goal the year before as well, so it's an area that they are really strong and we certainly have to improve to create the margin and the game context that we want, so we're going to have to be really good at that.