Every word Mikel Arteta said on Man City, Pep Guardiola rivalry and Arsenal dilemma

Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of the weekend and spoke on the exit that was announced regarding Tim Lewis. The executive vice-chair has stepped away while several new individuals have joined the board.

There was information on the team news with Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Bukayo Saka fighting to be back for the weekend. William Saliba meanwhile having returned for the trip to Bilbao is also pushing.

Arsenal take on Manchester City at 16:30 UK time at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Arteta will come up against a familiar face in Pep Guardiola, who he worked with at the Etihad Stadium before taking on the top job in north London.

Here is every word Arteta said in Friday’s press conference:

Two big wins following the international break, so you must feel in a good place heading into Sunday.

Yes, two very important wins. Very good feeling about the games as well and preparing for a big match for Sunday.

Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard missed the trip to Spain in midweek. Have they got any chance of featuring on Sunday?

If there is a chance, it will be after tomorrow's session because they haven't done anything yet, so we'll have more information tomorrow.

And just to check, Mikel Merino and Victor Gyokeres picked up head injuries on Tuesday. Are they absolutely fine?

Yes, they're fine. They will be available.

William Saliba, an unused substitute on Tuesday. Can we expect him to come straight back into the starting XI on Sunday?

Let's see. Obviously, he's been carrying an injury. He's done really well to be available for the last match. He's really pushing it, so we'll decide tomorrow what's the best start.

Today the club announced a number of changes at boardroom level. Will that have any impact on what you do here on a day-to-day basis?

No. Well, there have been quite a lot of changes since I arrived at the club. First of all, obviously Tim is leaving. I would like to say a few words because he's been someone that I really enjoy working with. I think he has a tremendous contribution for everything that we've done over the last few years. Then on Rich, congratulations, obviously, because it's a massive role to be the CEO of this football club. And then, welcome to the new members of the board. Hopefully, they're going to make us better and help us and bring ideas and support and make this club much better. Ultimately, it's a stance and Josh’s decision. They've been incredibly supportive, so we'll move on again.

Finally for me, it's still very, very early in the season, but just how significant is this match in terms of the title race, in terms of staying close to Liverpool and potentially building a gap to Manchester City?

It's about winning again and creating another good moment for us. Consistency, competing against one of the best teams, obviously, in the world. It's a good test for us to see our level as well.

You know Pep Guardiola probably better than all of us in this room. How demanding do you think it's been for Pep to be at this level for so many years, to be achieving what he achieved in so many countries? And also, how much do you think he evolved his coaching and management in the last few years?

Well, yeah, the demands that he puts first of all on himself, the standards that he requires for everybody around him, his will to win, to evolve, to improve. You look around him always, he wants to surrender to the best people. For me, he's by far the best coach in the world, I always said it. I've had the pleasure to work with him and win a lot with him, next to him. So, yeah, it's always great to see him back.

Noni Madueke, we had a look at him this summer. What made you decide to recruit him from Chelsea? And how do you think you and your coaching staff are getting such a wonderful version of him?

Yeah, well, because I was sure that he was a player with a talent and quality that we didn't have in the squad. A player with a level of threat and unpredictability that he was going to make us better. The moment I picked up the phone and spoke to him and his dad and his agent, the three of them gave me the impression that they were really willing to come, that they saw something special here, they wanted to be part of. And then, yeah, you have to come here and slowly start to get to know him, and he needs to start to get to understand the team. But I think so far the impact he's having on the team is very, very positive.

And Martin Zubimendi, how pleased are you with the way he's settled here? How would you describe the balance he midfield gives you in the partnership with Declan Rice as well?

Yes, another one that obviously coming from abroad is always very tricky, especially with the demands in this league and in that particular position because you have so much responsibility in that role and you have to be aware of everything that we do. But such an intelligent boy, a lot of presence, a lot of quality and a lot of courage to play football.

No goals conceded from open play and Cristhian Mosquera has been a key part of that. Why do you think you have been so solid this season?

Well, first of all, because he's very good. And I think credit to the scouting department, Andrea [Berta], that they presented the opportunity to have him. Again, no goals conceded and as a boy, you know, someone extremely focused, very determined, very clear that he wanted to come here and he wanted to come here to play, earn his place. I think what he's doing in that position so early is very impressive.

Just on White, Saka and Odegaard, you said a decision after tomorrow's session. Have they trained already or would that be their first session back?

Because everything has been modified so far for them and there's still a few things to clear and tomorrow we'll have more information whether they are part of the squad, they have a chance to be part of the squad or not.

We've spoken about the evolution of football and how the style is changing. A lot more teams are going more direct. Are you expecting a different type of game than usual against Manchester City on Sunday?

There will be moments, but it has been in the past as well in the last few years and obviously they have certain different qualities, especially in the back line. And since they recruited Erling [Haaland] as well, they always modified a few things because of the qualities of the individual, which is normal. And there is a tendency in football, especially because there is as well other tendencies in the way teams are defending that has certain implications to how teams react to that.

Talking about the evolution of football, it used to be seen if you were on the subs bench that maybe you'd done something wrong and the manager didn't like you. We saw in midweek your substitutes you brought on won you the game in the Champions League. So explain to me how the evolution has happened in terms of subs and how important they are to you this season.

If you look historically, the top teams, the teams that have won a lot, the impact that the finishers had has always been really, really high. You need that quality nowadays to unlock games and to do it consistently every three days. It's even harder, more difficult and that's what you need. We are very lucky because we have players that can make that impact. They certainly did that the other day and now we need consistency on that.

So when you name the team and you name the subs, do you go up to them and say, listen, don't take it as being anything bad on the bench because I'm going to need you this afternoon?

We already had a discussion in preseason about the roles and responsibilities and about the implication of each other's roles in relation to the game, the scenario, the schedule, a lot of factors. But the quality and the delivery and intensity and will that you have to put every minute for this football club, that's a question of whether you are a starter or not.

You've had to rebuild this football club and you've been here five years. Is Pep having to rebuild Man City after all their successes? Do you think he's anywhere near that now?

I don't know, that's a question for him. But obviously, what he's already done in this league is unprecedented. The level that he's put the standards in the league, in my opinion, is unprecedented. And maintaining those levels for 10 years is already something incredible and the demands are there for him. And he wants to carry on because he certainly believes that he can do it again.

And history beckons for you tomorrow. No Premier League manager has gone five games in a row unbeaten against Man City, so not tomorrow, Sunday. But if you do it, all hail Mikel Arteta.

The preparation of the game will be to win it, that's for sure.

Arsenal's suicide prevention service will be open for the first time at the game at the weekend. Can you talk to us about how important it is to be open about mental health struggles and also about what Arsenal's role is in that?

Well, first of all, very proud that the club again takes initiative and takes a problem, a serious problem that is out there in our society and gets practical solutions and to create a safe space as well for our supporters to be able to raise their hands and say, listen, I need help and this is the space to do it. I think it's incredible and hopefully more people can do the same because probably there's a big need for that.

It was a surprise a few people were the news about the Tim [Lewis]announcement this morning. Was it a surprise for you? How much were you aware of these changes coming in?

Well, I was aware in certain moments and I had various discussions with Josh especially and as well with Tim and yeah, it's not the first time that it's happened since I've been here and again, incredible gratitude towards Tim, what he's done for the football club, what he's done for the team, for myself personally as well and yeah, everybody's in different phases of their lives and requires different things and that's it, we move on.

I think supporters will see a big change like this and wonder what comes next and what the future looks like. What would be your message to them?

Wonderful future, that's the only thing that I can say. I'm so positive about it and every time I speak to Stan and Josh and how willing they are, the projection that they have, the vision they have for the football club, the people that we have around it, there's no question that big things ahead.

You mentioned it's not the first time it's happened to you and some of us were trying to list the amount of executive changes that have happened. We've come up with a list with the late Sir Chips Keswick, Francis Cagigao, Raul Sanllehi, Ken Friar, Huss Fahmy, Vinai Venkatesham, Edu Gaspar, Jason Ayto and of course now Tim Lewis. What's it like as a manager to go through that amount of change in just five and a bit years?

Well, it's my first managerial job so I don't know if that's a lot or very little. This experience that I had, where I can say that I've been very lucky to work with some wonderful people that I have learned so much from them and yeah, it's sad because we spend so much time together. You name very important people that have been a big part of the football club, of my life as well personally because you get really attached to them emotionally as well and their families and yeah, you have to move on and maintain that personal relationship for sure and then people have gone on to do various jobs, some of them have been very successful in other places and wish them all the best.

And just to bring it back to the football as well, you spoke before about the emotion of using Mikel Merino for his goals that he scored for Spain and one of the reasons why you started him in the game against Nottingham Forest. With how Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard performed in midweek, does that now come into your thinking about harnessing that confidence they got from that game, potentially for the week?

Yes, it does. It certainly does because when players are in that state, I think they have to be used and they have to be recognised but it's a lot of players obviously that are in a really good moment, performing really well and that's what we want. Whenever we need them, I'm sure that they're going to be at their best.

Hi Mikel, I'd like to ask you a little bit about Erling Haaland. 11 versus 11 at least, your defenders have done a really good job of restricting that supply. I think it's two shots on target in the last four games. What has your team got right taking on Haaland?

Well, there's a lot of things that you have to get right as a player that doesn't need much space, much time or situation to generate big chances, especially when he's in and around the box. But preventing the source sometimes is the best thing to do and we have to do it again.

And you've allowed two open play shots on target in the last four games. It's been a real hunkering down since the United game. Do you feel like this level of defensive quality is showing now? Is that the benchmark or is that beyond what you were expecting?

Well, it’s certainly something about what we are doing today and what we have to do on Sunday, and trying to win games. There are still a lot of things that we can improve and we know that. We are very aware of that. But it's a very big foundation to achieve what we want.

On Tuesday night lots of people picked up on a clip of you sort of screaming at Eze to come out to the touchline and really hug the touchline and let Calafiori go into the central areas. Is that how you envisage Eze playing here? Much more on the touchline winger than someone coming inside that maybe we've been used to when he was at Crystal Palace?

No, depending on what the opposition does. It's one space or another. It's never the same because the space and the difficulty for the opponent will be in different things in relation to what they want and what we want to accomplish with that.

Does it depend on the fullback he's got behind him at times as well? Say Calafiori likes to come inside, but Hincapie who we know looks like he's more of an overlapping fullback.

Yeah, depending on where that nine is defending, especially if it's our left or right side. The behaviour of that winger when the ball is in the opposite side. The attacking midfielder, especially if it's higher or deeper. It's quite a lot of things to consider before we make that decision.

While Lewis-Skelly celebration in this fixture obviously attracted quite a few headlines last season, are your players free to celebrate as they push on Sunday or have you said to them, rein it in.

Well, if that was done, that's it. That's part of it. They've been in a lot of celebration and not celebration with the past from a lot of teams. That's it. We don't want that. Every experience is to learn as well and we certainly learned from that one.

Just in terms of City, obviously they've lost twice. Two of their four fixtures so far had their troubles last season. Do you think they are proper contenders this year or do you think it's going to take them maybe one or two years?

I think so, without a doubt. Knowing really well Pep and the demands he's going to put there, the mentality they have in that football club, the squad and the players they have, they're going to be there for sure.