Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal vs Man City, Carabao Cup final, Pep Guardiola, team news

Here is every word Mikel Arteta said ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City

Mikel Arteta spoke to the media ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final clash with Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. The Gunners boss provided the latest team news with both Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard in the spotlight.

Pep Guardiola confirmed that he would be starting James Trafford for the final and not Gianluigi Donnarumma. Arteta had a similar question put to him about Kepa Arrizabalaga and David Raya ahead of a big decision this Sunday.

This could be the first trophy which the Gunners boss wins in close to six years, and the emphasis on whether this is the end of a project or the start of a new era came up too.

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

Any fresh injury concerns after Tuesday?

No, not for now. We have another training session tomorrow, so the ones that are in contention, hopefully they can give us good news.

You mentioned on Monday that Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber were days away. Are you hopeful they'll be available?

Yeah, we have another session tomorrow, so let's see if they can make it.

You've got to pick a 20-man squad for this game, Mikel. Where will that rank among the most challenging and difficult decisions you've had as an Arsenal manager?

Yeah, especially because everybody's been involved in the competition, and on the last day when you have the option to be at Wembley, not to give the opportunity to somebody not to be there… Difficult. So yeah, something to think about.

Kepa started all your cup games in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. Will he keep his place? Will he start?

We'll see. However, it's tomorrow when I make the decision.

OK. I'll just say because Pep says that James Trafford is starting, and I'm sure you're aware of that.

Good for him.

There's been a feeling among the pundits that this is more than just a final, in that it can lead to maybe bigger and better things for the winners of this game. Do you see it like that? Have you thought about that? Or is this just something, an individual game, let's try and get a trophy?

Yeah, that's it. For me, that's it. Until the preparation and all the enjoyment, the next 48 hours to get to Wembley in the best possible way. I'm really prepared and confident that we're going to make it happen. It's focused on that, basically, and that's it.

I'm not sure if you're aware of this stat. You've played for Arsenal at Wembley four times. You've managed Arsenal at Wembley four times. You've never lost. What is it about you, this club and that stadium?

I don't know, but let's keep it that way. Make sure that in a few hours, we can do the same.

Just on the man in the other dugout, known very well Pep Guardiola. You've got a fantastic relationship with him. He says that his relationship with you may have changed over the last five or six years. Compared to five or six years ago, rather. How would you describe...

It had to. He's in Manchester, I'm in London. We are managing two different clubs. The feelings from my side hasn't changed at all.

How would you describe how it has changed, though?

The fact that we are never together. We cannot spend time together. That's important in our relationship, but it's not the most important thing. Because what I feel about him and the time that we have together and why he did it for me. The inspiration has been since I was little for me. That's never going to change.

Nervous?

No. Today, no.

Not today. Just in general.

Excited, enthusiastic, positive.

Victor Gyokeres. 16 goals this season. Is Sunday the real reason why you bought Viktor Gyokeres to get you over the line to win a trophy?

Our players have to perform daily at this level, but when it comes to the crucial moments and when it comes to the moment to attack a trophy and take it and bring it home, that's when you need to be placed to step up and make a difference. That's clear.

And for your team, I mean, still in with the chance of winning four trophies, never been done before. It's been a fantastic season, but does Sunday become kind of a little bit the moment of truth? You've got this far, now go and the final step and lift the pot.

It's one of the defining moments because at the end it's whether you win the trophy or not. And that's the most important thing once you get to the final. But in order to be there, you have to do a lot of things and learn a lot of things that the team has done so far. So we need to prove that point. That's clear. And that has to be done on the pitch.

Finally, still young, still no grey hairs. You're the apprentice compared to the master in terms of Pep Guardiola, maybe in some people's eyes. But is Sunday, the day the apprentice becomes the master.

It’s not about that. In this profession, you are constantly learning, constantly evolving. I had the incredible privilege to work with Pep for four years, and all this staff, and an amazing club. And that remains part of me because it was part of the journey and what I am today as a manager. But that means that you have to continue to evolve and improve constantly.

Arsenal won the FA Cup with you in charge in 2020. It seems a while ago now, but obviously there were no fans there that time.

It is a while ago.

But just in terms of it, obviously, you won that with no fans. What would it mean to win with all your supporters there? Because loads of them had to miss out, watch it on the TV. So what are your memories of that final, and what's the contrast potentially to what could happen on Sunday?

Let's lift it on Sunday and then I can probably answer that question better. I've done it when the Stadium has been full and been part of that. It's exceptional. One of the best memories I have as a player is playing those type of games.

That's why we are all very excited because we know what is at stake. We really want it and we know what it's going to mean for our people as well.

When you say you really want it, is this the start of a new era, potentially for Arsenal? Because under Arsenal, 20 years ago, they were winning everything, the Invincibles. What you've got on the line and what this team could potentially achieve is quite huge. From your sense, what do you sense that this is the start of something big potentially?

There is a lot to do and to start to talk and use those words in my opinion. We are very excited about what we are doing and we need to continue to make the right strides and especially perform in the right way when those moments come to achieve what we want to start to build the momentum that we want as a club.

Just in terms of finals, you made Champions League semi-final last year. How much is it about the players that these finals become habits rather than unusual moments?

This is what we want and the fact that we are at the end of March and we are in four competitions tells a lot about the team. As I said, now it's about the next step, the next game and the defining moments. At the end, you need certain moments to go your way and especially you have to make it happen in the way you approach those games and make decisions that obviously is going to impact the game.

When you were with Guardiola at City, I think the Carabao Cup was the first trophy you won together in 2018. A few months later, that team won the Premier League and went on to win a great deal of course. Do you think that experience that they shared at Wembley, winning that final, was important in helping them take that step and go on and do more in the future?

Certainly, yes, because winning a trophy helps more for sure. It gives you confidence, it gives you the feeling that when it comes to that moment, you can do it, and you have enough resources to achieve what you want, and then you still have to do all the other things that that team did back in the day.

And just on the goalkeepers, I mean, logic suggests in a cup final you pick your best team, your number one choice. Is the goalkeeper position a little bit distinct from that because you've got a player there who otherwise they won't play a number of games? Is it a little bit different from the consideration with an outfield player?

Yeah, especially if you talk to the goalkeeping coaches, they are very special because they are always different. And they are different; it's a position that is very specific. There is a lot of history about that as well that is very related to how people have made decisions in the past and when something different happens it sounds different at least. But we don't know how it's going to be in 10 or 20 years' time.

On that 2018 final when you were Pep's assistant, City obviously won 3-0 that day, but in general how big was the gap between the two teams, the two clubs and how much work has been required to get Arsenal to where they are now?

Yeah, I think both clubs were in a very different stage in that moment and you could sense not only in terms of the squad but in many other situations how far we were and you just have to see as well what that club won before we were there as well, which was already very successful. And at the time, Arsenal was in a different period because of the history as well, and some of the things that happened.

At what stage in the last six years since you've been here did you genuinely believe Arsenal were in a position where they could compete with Man City for the biggest prizes and bridge that gap?

Well, all the work that has been done from day one, because that's the level. Just being the Arsenal manager and not believing that you can compete at the highest level in the competitions, I think it cannot be aligned. Obviously, there are a lot of factors, and the fact that I was there, I know my opinion on where the gaps were, and the difference was. But not accepting it, being that it's part of the reality and trying to change it as quick as possible.

Over the past six years we've talked about the project and the phrase “trust the process” has come up a lot as well. Do you feel like the people that have bought into trusting the process is what's seen you get here?

I don't know if it's that, but the fact that at the end you have to win a lot of games, and you have to be very consistent if you want to maintain those words of the project, continuously, people believe in it.

At the end I don’t think it's never going to end, regardless of what happens and how much we win in the next few years. It's always going to be something for the next two or three years, and honestly, we'll plan that and the club will plan that in every department not only in terms of the first team winning football matches. It's part of it.

This competition is often talked about a little bit as a springboard or something to push you forward to those final games because of how early in the season it is. Is it difficult sometimes to view it in isolation without thinking of what it could do further on down the line?

I don't know, but you live the moment and the present that much. That's the only focus that you can put in. Obviously, you can imagine how nice it would be on Sunday when you win it, and we are all together, and sharing with our fans, it will be a massive energy boost and belief for everybody, and that's why we want it so much.

You've heard the quadruple word probably more times than you'd like from us. Have you heard it from the players at all yet? Or anything that makes you think that?

No, because we know that we need to go game by game and trophy by trophy.

Just going back to keepers quickly, in the 2014 FA Cup final Arsene went with Lukasz Fabianski rather than Wojciech, you were obviously captain that day. As a player does it make you feel any different when you're playing without the keeper who is widely considered your number one behind you in such a big game?

No, because we don't have that feeling amongst players. We really trust our teammates and in that case, especially when you work with the quality of the keepers that we have right now, they are both Internationals, they play at the highest level, higher clubs and they have the experience to deal with any kind of situation.

Does emotion come into it at all? Because Kepa has obviously played such a huge part in this run, and if you were to go with David psychologically, that could have quite a big impact on Kepa. Does that play into your decision as well?

Yeah, every decision that you make has an impact and when you have to pick between two players normally it's positive for you and negative for him. So the other way around it can be. You need to weigh everything, every decision, try to be as fair as possible as well and sensible.

Earlier this season you said that you still speak to Pep quite regularly. Have you spoken to him this week?

No.

Do you intend to speak to him before the final?

Yes, on Sunday. On Sunday I will speak to him for sure.

Is there a specific reason why you haven't spoken to him since?

No, no specific reason.

Just on the final, obviously it's been six years since the FA Cup final and Arsenal have had so many near misses in that period. You're having a great season. Do you still think that sort of places the pressure a bit more on Arsenal to get this trophy over the line than it does City?

Well, when you have been in this position and years without winning a trophy obviously it adds more necessity but as well more drive because you really want it and that's something that we have. That is something really important for us and something that we've been trying to achieve for a while and I know we have the opportunity to do it.