Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal vs Wolves, Saliba, Timber, Rice, Jesus and title chances

Every word from Mikel Arteta’s pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Wolves.

Mikel Arteta spoke to the press ahead of Arsenal’s match against Wolves in the Premier League. There are still many players fighting to return to full fitness, and the manager gave his latest thoughts on them.

Arsenal face the side bottom of the Premier League, which means the expectation to win has never been higher, which can itself cause nervousness. The likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Viktor Gyokeres were in focus, while Martin Zubimendi was praised highly.

Gabriel Jesus too, after his exploits in Belgium, was a key focus for the press and the manager was clear on his thoughts both for the short and long term of the centre-forward’s chances of playing.

Here is every word from the press conference:

Let's start at the START. A new way of trying to get the injury updates from you. Starting with start. S T A R T… Saliba. What's the latest on Saliba?

We have to wait and see. Yesterday we didn't train, he hasn't trained with us yet. So we have an extra day, which means it's afternoon. Let's see if he can be available or not.

Because you said a matter of days in the last five press conferences. Yeah. So is it still a matter of days?

It remains the same, yeah. Obviously, if you ask me the Everton game, if I think he will be fit for tomorrow, I don't know.

T, second letter. Timber.

It was a knock that he picked up and he wasn't feeling comfortable. So yeah, again I think it's something, a matter of days. But whether it's tomorrow or not, we'll see.

Ok, next letter's A.

This is going to take quite long…

A stands for and, because there's always an and when it comes to injury news and A for Arsenal. So R, Rice. How's Declan?

Let's see how he is today, when he was ill. That's an illness, normally in a few days he gets resolved. But we have to wait and see how far he can push.

Ok, and another T to end with, Trossard. How's he doing?

Again, another one that is a matter of days. Sounds boring but it's the reality so we don't know. And if he's available or not.

I wish I hadn't started because we've got absolutely nowhere. We've got absolutely nowhere. Big question mark still at the end I think. Impressive game in midweek to bounce back after Villa. Important to keep that momentum going?

For sure, yeah. After any defeat you want to put it right straight away. We certainly did that and put ourselves in a great position in the Champions League.

And now it's about Wolves focusing back on the Premier League. And after what happened and the result that we had against Villa. Obviously, it's a massive opportunity for us again to win the game and put ourselves in a great position.

Based on results, Wolves have been extraordinarily poor. Lost all of their last eight games. You'd be expected to take three points tomorrow. Is there a danger of maybe a bit of apathy around the fans and even the players?

Always. In any Premier League match and especially against a team that is fighting against results. I know the manager really well and how he's going to push and get the players ready to do that. So from our side, we're going to go full gas from the beginning because we know what we have to do.

If you're a team that is hoping to win the Premier League, do you have to beat Wolves?

At the end you're going to have to have over 90 points probably to win it. So that means winning a lot of football matches and tomorrow we have three that we have to win.

In recent weeks, you've had a draw at Stamford Bridge, you've beaten Tottenham, and you've beaten Brentford. But obviously; you've lost two of the last five, you've obviously had defensive injuries as well. So because of that, partly because of that, the table based on form for the last five, the table is based on form, you'd be seventh, not even in the top six. Is that good enough?

When?

The form table for the last five games. Given those problems you've had and the results you've had, still you've only won two in five.

Hopefully tomorrow we change, we win tomorrow and then it's a different one. And then in the last one we are the best, or in the last two or the last three. So we try to win every game and that's the only thing we can do in terms of being as consistent as possible.

Right, finally for me, it's about time we revisited the supercomputer. We love the Opta supercomputer. It's been a while.

Surprise me.

Villa, the chances of winning the Premier League, 6%. City, 20%. Arsenal, 72%.

Is that in the last five games? [Laughs]

Since the start.

Since the start. Till the end.

Is that right? Is that about right, do you think?

I don't know, the computer says it. The last five games or the next five games, I don't know. The only thing that we can do is increase the probability of winning the next match by doing the things that we do really well and preparing the best possible way.

Ahead of your fixture against Wolves? Some might say this is a game that Arsenal should control quite comfortably on paper. How do you guard against complacency?

Well, showing them the team that they are. I'm talking about Villa, the game that they had against Villa a few weeks ago. And understand that a team in that position obviously have to react and have to show their teeth. And that's a very dangerous thing, especially in this league, when every team obviously has the quality that they have. So from our side, that's not going to happen.

At the start of the season it felt like Arsenal was very dominant at scoring goals from set pieces. But your last 11 Premier League goals have come from open play. What do you put that shift down to?

This is football and it has waves. And you try to analyse five games or ten games, and the sample is that small that you get very, very confused. So at the end, even 40 games is not enough to have a sample of what your team looks like.

Because it's too small. But the fact that we have the resources to score from various positions, with different players, in different manners, that's a great thing. But we want to be the best in every situation. That's what we try to do.

Gabriel Jesus returns on Wednesday. Do you see him eventually pushing for that number one striker spot again? How do you see his role developing?

Yes. A player of his quality, a player that has given us so much. He comes with the energy that he came the other day. He's certainly a player that has to be pushing and aiming for that. That's for sure. Thank you.

First of all, can I ask you whether you think you're getting enough credit this season? You've scored a lot of goals, as you say, in waves from set pieces and outside of set pieces. But I just don't feel like they're being given enough credit as being either entertainers or being as good a team as they are.

I don't know, but that's not for me to judge. At the end, we're in a very strong position in the three competitions that we've been involved in so far. And that's what we have to continue to do.

At the end, the credit has to come at the end of the season. That's when we're going to measure what we've done. But in order to achieve that, you have to be achieving every single day the objectives that you want. And so far, I think we are in a really strong position.

For any team to do well, players have got to sometimes play where they don't want to play or where they're not best at playing. Did we see that the other night with Christian Norgaard? Because I've only ever known him as a central midfielder. Yet the other night, he played centre-half and probably could do that for you a lot more this season now.

Yes, but I think that comes to the mentality of the players, the intelligence of a player like Christian as well, and how to fulfil that role. In the morning, you tell him, surprisingly, that he needs to play in that position because we don't have any other one to play in there. And then you need to fulfil that role.

But we have a lot of examples of players that have played in different positions, like Mikel, like many others. And that's really because that gives us an edge.

How much are you personally enjoying this season? I mean, you're opposite, who you know well. He's probably not having a very good start to his career at Wolves, obviously. But how much are you actually enjoying this season? Enjoying your season of play and enjoying the lack of pressure on your shoulders?

The lack of pressure?

For the first part, I do enjoy it a lot because of the people that are around us and how we live together. Obviously, winning a lot helps because that's a different profession when you win or you lose. And I feel privileged to be where I am and keep going.

Last one. The supercomputer thinks you're going to win the Premier League. Most people have seen you win six out of six.

Is that the same supercomputer?

There’s only one.

Only one?

The supercomputer thinks you're going to win the Premier League. Everyone has seen you win six out of six, thinks you're going to win the Champions League. You're in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. You start with Pompey away in the FA Cup. Is the quadruple on?

It’s only the three points of tomorrow [that matter] and I think that's enough for my supercomputer in my head.

When Viktor came in, he's obviously come from a very different league and he's a very different profile of centre-forward to what perhaps you've had in more recent seasons. If I may ask around and if you could explain how, when a player like that arrives, do you have to adapt to a player like that? And how much is it the player has to adapt to a different starting system?

I think the two things have to merge. I think we have to put the player in the best possible condition to explode and fulfil his potential. And there are certain things that within the role, in the manner that we play, has to be fulfilled.

And that's a combination of both. And then it's not only that. I think more important is the connections and the players around him at the end.

Those interactions, that understanding, how it develops. And before the injury, I think he was in a great place. I think it took him a while at the beginning because, as you said, it's a different league, different demands.

He had no pre-season. And now he's starting to get, again, some momentum. And the goals will come, and we're going to be very pleased with him.

And after this game, you get a rare week off from a midweek fixture, which you haven't had in quite some time. What are you looking forward to most about having a week where there isn't a game? And what might you do differently with the schedule behind the scenes?

Well, basically three things. Make sure that we can give some rest to players, mentally and physically. Then start to reactivate everybody and start to work on things that slowly you don't have time to work and start to deteriorate at some point. And then start to be in the best possible physical and emotional mindset to go to Everton to be ready.

Did you get any fresh injuries from Wednesday at least, were there?

No.

And just on Saliba, obviously it's been one where he's been closed in three or four games. What is the issue that he's specifically got and how frustrating is it that he's close to making the squad but he can't take that last step to come back?

Yeah, it was something quite small. It came from an ankle injury that he had, and then he started to modify the way he was running and all that, and he started to overload an area, which is something common. But at some point, it became uncomfortable to continue training and playing, and we had to stop.

And he looks better but we have to wait and see if he's enough for him to be able to train with the team.

Can I just ask you one on Gabriel Jesus? He's obviously in a rare situation where he's someone in the squad who's going to have 18 months on his contract in January. You've got Victor, Kai, Mikel, the strikers. Is he someone you would consider selling or do you see him as a key part of your plans this season?

No, I don't consider that, especially with the situation that we have right now. I think Gabriel has a lot to offer to the team and he's proven that straight away in the first minute that he was available to play. He's put so much to be in this position again and now the focus is to be with us.

In the week Ethan came on and played quite well in the second half, I was just wondering how he's been in these few weeks where he hasn't been starting games as much and how you've found him because I think he said a couple of weeks ago he asked to play in that friendly. I'm just wondering how you feel about that.

In the manner that other players have to cope with these kinds of situations, so preparing in the best possible way, I think he's doing it. His attitude has been excellent, and when he's got the chance to play, he proves that I'm wrong, and he needs to play more minutes and help the team as much as possible.

In terms of him asking to play in that friendly, is that something you'd like to see from players?

Yes, Ethan's attitude on that is exceptional. Every time we have a regen day, he wants to train and he wants to be outside and he wants to be in touch with that ball. In that sense, he's top.

Can I ask you about Martin Zubimendi? Two assists, six chances in the game against Brugge, but there are other games where he plays a more conservative role. How impressed have you been by how, not just he's adapted to the Premier League, but how he's adapting game by game to cater the way he plays to the opponent?

Very impressed because I know the difficulty of coming into this league and doing what he's doing immediately. First of all, you have to earn the role within the team, and that's not easy to do. Then it's a different way of playing, a different league, but as you said, the variety of actions and involvements that he has in the game is exceptional.

His defending metrics are incredible and I had no doubt that he could produce that, but this is the Premier League and you have to prove it. And then attacking-wise as well, the highs that he takes, position he takes, the way he's opened up teams in many ways, his goal threat, the capacity to assist, he's improved on set-pieces as well and he has a lot to improve in that area as well. It's a player that is never going to be satisfied.

You can tell him and praise him individually, never enough, he's never satisfied with his performance, but that's what makes him as well-suited.

That position in particular, it's so hard to adapt when you see players like Rodri need a year. Did you think he would need a little bit more time? Did you think you'd be able to throw him in like you did at Old Trafford and he'd barely be out of the team from then on?

Yes, but I think the fact that he could prepare for a longer period because he sort of knew that he was coming, I think that helped. It wasn't something immediate that happened, so we talked a lot about why he was going to be needed, the challenges that he was going to face, but as well that his abilities and capacities were going to fit so well within the team and he's proven that on the pitch.

You said earlier on Viktor he was in a great place before his injury, how long do you think it would take for him to get back to that place? Do you think he needs a run of goals to get the confidence going and maybe silence any critics that he hasn't?

Yes, probably the thing that's going to unlock him is goals, and he's so used to that that I think he needs that for himself, for his confidence, and I think we're going to judge his performances based on that as well. That's logical, but for the rest, I think he's in a really good place. I think physically he's in a good place, and now he needs to start to convert the chances that he's getting.

Just one on the Premier League table, obviously, when you look at it now, you've got Man City just two points back, so the gap's got a bit smaller. Do you think that they're back to their best? Do you think City are back to where they were?

Yes, we had a lot of teams that were involved when you look at the table there, and we know the situation with other clubs as well. With Man City, it's always the case that you expect them to have the quality, they have the experience that they have in the competition. The focus has to be on what we have to do.

The club will be marking its 40th anniversary of Arsenal in the Community at the game at the weekend. How important is this and what does this connection to the wider community mean to you and the team?

That's something remarkable, probably amazing and the moment that the club started to do that probably you could never imagine where we're going to be forty years later. But that shows where it's coming from. I think the consistency in doing those things is the most difficult when a lot of people engage or jump into things for a very short period of time, and it's very difficult to be consistent.

I think the impact that the club is having in our community and in a lot of people's lives is something exceptional and it means a lot of pride.