Mikel Arteta on Nwaneri, Saka and Martinelli, changing formations and Arsenal’s sporting director hunt
Mikel Arteta faced the media this morning at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s trip to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
The Arsenal manager gave updates on the fitness of Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli and revealed he was not yet ready to concede defeat to Liverpool in the title race.
Below is a selection of what he had to say.
On team news:
“Ethan was just cramping. His load has been very different in recent weeks, but he’s fine. Bukayo and Gabi are progressing really well but are still a bit far to come back.”
On last weekend and the title race:
“It was a very disappointing weekend, obviously. When you look at the previous 15 games, we have won 10 and drawn five, exactly the same as Liverpool with exactly the same goal difference, which is +23. So we’ve been extremely consistent for the last three and a half months, considering everything that we’ve been through.”
“We had generated momentum and it was that weekend when we had to do exactly the same again as we had done in the previous 15 and we got a defeat and on top of that they [Liverpool] win. So it was a very hard one to take. The reality is there are so many games to play and you have to get back to it and have the levels and the consistency and the hunger to go again and that’s what we’re going to do on Wednesday.”
On the difficulties Arsenal have faced:
“It’s been incredibly satisfying to work every day with the players and the coaches and the staff to try to overcome certain situations. If someone told you at the start of the season by this time you would had played five times with a red card with over half an hour in each of them and you had lost this amount of players, what’s the bet you are in the middle of the table at least and you are out of the Champions League. That’s not the situation, so that tells you the resources, the ambition the team has and that every individual has. And that has been one of my proudest moments to work in that sense. The problem is when you are there you want more and more and more. I’m not going to stop, over my dead body, thinking that way and putting everything that we possibly can to increase the probability of us winning.”
On whether he still believes Mikel Merino can work up front:
“Yes, in relation to the opposition and the options that we have and what the team generates as well. Attacking players depend a lot on what the team is generating, the chemistry, the fluidity, the areas that we are hitting. It worked really well against Leicester, it didn’t work that well the other day because there were a lot of things missing.”
On Ben White’s return:
“A player that has given us something very, very special, especially in that right unit. We haven’t played the right unit at all this season with Ben, Bukayo and Martin. It’s a unit that has played so much football together. So it’s great to have him back. He’s certainly been missed.”
On White and England:
“That’s for Thomas [Tuchel] to decide, not me.”
On whether he’s thought about changing formation:
“Yes. The 4-3-3 really, I don’t know when we play 4-3-3 in phases of play in the age because we change our shape in relation to the high press and final third shape. But at the end if player give you other options, other qualities and other connections, certainly we are going to use the quality.”
On whether the appointment of a sporting director is close:
“It’s a question for the club, they are in the position to give better answers in terms of timing and selection than me.”
On what he’d say to the fans about the sporting director hunt:
“The club is doing all the process that we believe is the best to try to find the person that is the best one for the moment that Arsenal is in right now. That’s what the club is trying to do.”