Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal vs Sporting CP, injury news, Gyokeres and bouncing back

Here is every word Mikel Arteta said ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Sporting CP

Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of his Arsenal side’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Sporting CP in Lisbon. The Gunners have the chance to respond after two difficult performances that have seen their potential trophy aims drop from four to two.

There are several players the manager was asked for updates on as the Spaniard gets some back into the squad after recovering from injuries. However, some sadly did not make the trip.

Viktor Gyokeres was naturally a big focus, considering he will play against his former club. The Arsenal coach gave his thoughts on the player and why they signed him too.

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

It's the first time you've had back-to-back losses this season, so what signs have you seen from the players since then that it's not going to turn into a slumping form?

I have some perspective on how difficult it is, but we don't have to now. Feel that pain, feel that emotion, and use it to be better and to improve. We were very clear in what happened, the reason why it happened, which in the game two times we didn't deserve to do that much, but this is football and we get punished for things that are related to our identity and that's the thing that we need to defend in the strongest possible way because that's the reason why we are where we are today.

Because of those last two results, does it bring an extra importance to this game? It's a big game anyway, but does it add anything else?

I think it doesn't change it. I mean, regardless, we would have won the game; this is the quarter-final of the Champions League, it doesn't get much better than that, and we worked so hard throughout the season to be in this position in the competition. We're going to play an opponent here that we know about their records and want it done. So, hungrier than ever, very excited and very, very motivated for tomorrow's game.

Gabriel is he fit and available?

Yes.

Declan Rice?

Yes.

Leandro Trossard?

Yes.

And then Bukaya Saka and Jurrien Timber, I don't think they trained today.

They haven't travelled in yet, let's see, hopefully they're going to be ready for the weekend, if everything goes well. That's a massive boost because in recent days we've lost so many important players and that's something that we need to change immediately.

It's a hell of a week coming up, isn't it? You talked about the players being hungrier than ever. How does that manifest itself? Do you see the determination in this group? What makes the qualities and spirit within this group so special?

A lot of things. The way they communicate, the way they express their feelings, the conversation that we had after that match. Because I know what it means to them and I know how much they want it. It's now the moment to show it, and we have to do it on that green tomorrow at the highest level.

When you see the mentality and spirit being questioned, a little bit more mentality and spirit, but does that fire up the players? Do you always see a response? You certainly had earlier in the season.

That's in football, the first game of the season. That's going to be questioned. It's okay, what about Arsenal this season? It's been like this for the last nine months, and that's going to continue; that's never going to change when you play at this level for this club. There's always going to be a question mark. You have to live the present; you have to deliver it every day. You cannot pick the game, you cannot pick the moments or the actions. It's every action, every game, every moment. And that's the standard that we set and that's part of identity and it's part of this football club.

Viktor is coming back to his former club. He could get an interesting reception from the home fans. How is he? Does he seem phased? And is he embracing what could be a testing atmosphere?

I think he's very excited. He's full of gratitude for his time here. The way he talks about the club, the players, the staff, everybody around the club. The experience that he had, how important that part of his journey in Sporting has been.

And now it's Arsenal, he’s in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, he's never played at this level in the competition.

After what he did with Sweden in the international break, obviously, he came back, he scored at the weekend as well. Have you noticed a different Viktor Gyokeres, maybe a more confident Viktor Gyokeres?

I mean, those are experiences that you put in your veins, I would say. And it doesn't get much better than putting your country into a World Cup with a goal that you scored. So that's still there, and that's going to be there for the rest of his career, like all the moments that he's here, the moments that he's creating for us. And that's the story that he's creating, and hopefully tomorrow he's going to show another very good side of himself.

Just a final one from me. Last season you played sporting here, beat them 5-1. Since then, what have you made of how they've developed, particularly in this season's Champions League at this stadium?

And before we played them as well. I mean, when you look at what they've done, especially at home, the way they have behaved in this Champions League, the points they have beaten, we know the difficulty of the match. That's why we want it even more.

We've often asked you about the experiences of previous seasons and how they're impacting this one. But can I ask you about the players that have joined this season, like Viktor, like Noni, Eberechi, for instance, Martin, Zubimendi, and what that experience of not playing in previous seasons and the freshness that they bring to this season, and what that gives your team in these late stages of a campaign?

I think it's a very good mixture because we had a really good campaign last year in the Champions League and we've come into this position. So that experience, those feelings are there. Tomorrow's going to be a very different game. We know the difficulty of that, but obviously, we know what is at stake and what we have to do.

We've spoken a lot this season about emotions and managing that, and we know how much the club and the fans and the players really want that success this season. At this moment, with two back-to-back defeats, do you have any concerns about those emotions of the players and panic setting in and the worry and the intensity of it all?

No. I think when you have the opportunity that we have, that has to be taken through excitement, through preparing yourself in the best possible way, focusing on the present and on the things that we have to do. And especially in our identity, it's very clear what is taking us on the way to where we are, and that's where we have to focus.

When you talk about defending the identity, do you mean tactical things or more philosophical?

Everything. It's not philosophical. There are parts and identities created by behaviours, not with words in the world, or with things that I want to achieve. And we have so many facts in the areas that, in our opinion, make us the team and the club that we are.

How do you ensure panic doesn't creep into the group? Obviously Arsenal have had such a strong season, but then back-to-back defeats, and obviously you don't want another defeat tomorrow, but it feels it's on the edge this season. How do you make sure that panic doesn't creep in?

I think what you have to do is clear. Instead of panic, understand if that happens, why it happened, and bring clarity. And when you analyse that and you accept that, you'll be better. That's it, and that's the thing that we have to do.

There's a lot of talk about how the players are handling these emotions and pressures after the two defeats. What about you? How do you help yourself to feel positive again? How do you manage those moments so that you can make sure you can help them?

First of all, analysing what I've done, the decisions that I've made, the reason why we lost, what we would have done differently if I had to play that game again, only in that selection again, or send certain messages. That's the first thing. And then understand what the players need in these moments, and what kind of manager, what kind of message is the best one to perform and to be better the next day. That's my only focus. It's not about me, it's about them, and I try to help that in my job, and I focus on that.

You spoke a lot about identity. Tomorrow night, you want to rediscover and show the identity of this team, which, for everyone watching, is strong defensively, the will to win. The two defeats you had, we haven't seen that Arsenal that got you to this position.

There are a few things that we have discussed internally, and I'm very convinced that tomorrow we're going to see that.

In the training earlier today at London Colney, there was a few clips going around, one involving pens between the players. What was the rationale behind that and your practise today?

I think a training session has to have different elements, and it has to be related to the messages that we sent, and the compromises and commitments that we've done between us. I try to have all those messages and commitments as much as possible, in as many situations as possible, and training was one of them.

And what did that mean in particular about pens?

That stays in the dressing room.

When did Gyokeres come under your radar? When did you start noticing him and started to get an interest in signing him?

Well, he's been on our radar for years, but the most recent moment when we really looked at him as one of the top targets was around December of last year, when we started to really think about, especially the issue that we had with Kai, what we had to do in our format. He became one of the main candidates, and then the main candidate to be part of our club.

Some players always start difficult the first season with a new club and a new league. Are you in a place where you thought you would be, or have you hoped for more?

I think it's where he is, and how successful the season is going to be for us, and when we analyse his season, it's going to be defined in the last seven or eight weeks of the season. That’s clear.

I want to ask you if you've spoken with Viktor Gyokeres about Sporting, and for you, what are the main qualities of Sporting?

Of course I did, just to understand the dynamic, the culture here, the things that they have talked, and to have more information about them that we can use in our favour. A lot of qualities, obviously, what they're doing is remarkable, and the record that they had at home is just incredible. So, you need to be very good to maintain those levels of performance and consistency.

How do you think Hjulmand’s absence will influence Sporting tomorrow, and what are the main differences from Sporting last season to this season?

Every moment of a team is different, obviously, they're in a high moment, especially the way they got into the quarter-finals, and the game that they played, for example, here against Paris, or the recent form in the league. That's it, at the moment the whistle goes, it's a game, it's a game that's going to have different kinds of moments, and it's how we're going to master those moments to take the game where we want and win it.

How do you see Rui Borges work? He wasn't in charge last time you were here. What changes do you see on the team, and how do you analyse this for him?

Well, very good, obviously, he's got a team at the moment, the way he's playing, performing collectively, and then when you look at individuals, what they are doing and what they are developing as well, I'm very impressed, every coach has his own thing, I think he's connected with the team and the club in a really powerful way, and he's done a great job.

Sporting is a team with a lot of variability, able to move players into central areas, but also create danger on the wings with players like Maxi Araújo and Geny Catáno. How do you see this variability influencing the game tomorrow, and which players do you consider the biggest threat?

Well, a lot, because that's the reason why they are there, because they have a lot of quality, as you say, a lot of variability within the spaces that a lot of players can occupy in the attacking phase, and then they can unbalance the game because they have individual quality, and you haven’t mentioned some others as well, that they have the capacity to do that. Obviously, the phase of play, when those players get in those positions, it starts earlier normally, so the problem starts earlier than sometimes, in this moment, it's too late to give the solutions that we will try to do.