For the first time this season, Mikel Arteta spoke to the press as we get set to take on Manchester City in the Community Shield.
We head to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff for the first time since 2007 as we look to clinch the first trophy of the season.
Mikel gave an update on the squad’s fitness ahead of Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City and much more. Here’s everything he said below:
on Saka, Rice and Zubimendi:
They will be available; they trained with us today, they will train tomorrow, and if they are in the condition we expect them to be in, they will be involved.
on Timber and Saliba:
Jurrien is progressing really well, he is on the pitch. We are ramping up now with certain actions and especially the volume and the load, and I think he is on a good trajectory, but there are still a few weeks to go. Wilo, as we all know, it’s more a long-term injury.
on if Timber will be fit before the international break:
I don’t know; we have to wait and see. He needs to start training with the group in the next week or so, hopefully, and then see how he progresses from there. It’s been a long-term issue right now, and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one, he feels right to do that and he’s such an important player for us.
on the transfer window:
It’s a very exciting part of the season, when a lot of things happen. I think you create excitement; there’s an opportunity as well to evolve. There’s also a good way to understand what every player is feeling. We are trying the maximum that we can to end up in 14 days, 13 days in the best possible condition to compete for every possible competition.
on if players are coming out as well as coming in:
It’s always the case; there’s an opportunity there to go both ways, and we’ll have to see how the market responds and what we as a club can do.
on links to Quansah and Konsa:
I’m not going to talk about any individuals obviously. What I can tell you is the ambition of the club, it’s big, we want to improve the squad, we want to evolve the squad, and in order to achieve that, we have obviously detected some areas that can be strengthened. That’s what we are trying to do.
on aiming to win the Community Shield:
That’s what we’re going to try to do, we’re going to have a really strong opponent, but we are really excited to start the season, to start with the first trophy as well. I sense a really good energy around the place; all the internationals are back, and we can’t wait to start competing.
on the players seeing this as a big game:
It’s a trophy that we can have because we managed last year to win the Premier League, and you can tell how hungry the players are, which is a good sign.
on if the game is a marker for the season:
That’s what we want, and adapting to the circumstances and the kind of preparation that we have. But I said it the other day, I love the way the players have come back, most of them earlier than expected, really fit with all the testing, and they all seem in great condition. The moment they start to look at each other and look at the squad that we have and what we are building, there is a lot of excitement around it.
on when we will see the best version of his team:
The best version has to be on Sunday, and that’s the intention: that we have the best performance and the best way to start the season by lifting the first trophy. That’s the way we have prepared the season – from day one, to be at our maximum level because that’s the standard for us.
on if we have to sell players:
We have certain possibilities that we can explore if the right possibilities come across. But so far, with the numbers we have, we are happy; obviously, we need to accept that certain players will probably have to move.
on Rice and Saka managing any fitness issues:
We haven’t noticed anything. They have individual plans from their time with the national team. They’ve been trying to evolve those issues and they have improved. In the rest period that they had, they both had specific programmes for themselves. They’ve been doing those and so far, what I saw the last two or three days, it was really good.
on his plans for Ethan Nwaneri this season:
I don’t know the plans, but certainly he opens your eyes in terms of how much a young player can evolve in such a short period. Work and experience abroad come with certain difficulties and challenges – what you can really get out of that, and I think he’s done it in a brilliant way. It’s unquestionable the talent, the desire, the love and the passion he has for the game. It’s something that I always loved about Ethan. I think he had some great games and he’s shown everybody that he has the ability to be here.
on if he wants Ethan to be at the club this season:
I want him to be at the club, but in the middle, long term, what is best for the player? Ethan needs to play football, and if he stays here, it’s because we can guarantee that he can have those minutes. Otherwise, it’s just something that is not good for anybody, I think.
on the expectation of Martin Odegaard this season:
With him and Bukayo as well, I see something else. Obviously they had some issues last year and they couldn’t have the consistency levels that they know they can bring to the team. So there is a big margin and a big gap there that I think the team is going to benefit from because I can see the desire in them.
on if it’s surprised him to see players sold for over £100m:
Yes, it has. I wouldn’t have bet on that to be fair. But that’s the market, that means that there are clubs that are happy to invest or they believe that the valuations of those players are that, and that’s fair. In the end, the value of the player is what somebody can pay for you, and they’ve done it, so that’s the value and it’s the right one because someone is happy to sell and someone is happy to buy, and in the middle, a player is happy to move from one club to the other. So I think that’s fair.
on how football will evolve this season:
Last year we saw the tie between PSG and Bayern Munich, something we probably haven’t witnessed before. So let’s see. The World Cup brought some very different stuff. I think it’s very different, international football, to anything related to the Premier League, but we’ll wait and see. I’m sure there will be surprises and everybody will have to adapt quickly to certain changes. I think the rules will be different as well, and when the rules change, everything changes and the game evolves. So we’ll see a change there as well.
on if there will be an evolution in his team:
There is room there for sure, with the players that we have ourselves. I think elevating the quality we have, and elevating individual performance, has to be the main focus. If we cannot do that for whatever reason, then we have to think about recruiting.
on Pep Guardiola departing Manchester City:
I’m probably going to fall short in the way I can praise what he’s done. First of all for the Premier League, for the country, the way he has opened a different way of understanding the game, and I think he has escalated the Premier League to a different level. He has brought standards to something that we haven’t witnessed before; I was very lucky to be part of it for four years and to understand and witness how it’s done daily. It’s remarkable, it’s unique, and I’ve always said before that I think he’s the best coach in the history of football for many reasons.
He’s done it in many different countries and leagues, but in a really consistent and sustainable way, which is the hardest thing to do. I think he’s going to be missed in the Premier League – I don’t know if as coaches we’ll miss him so much! It’s so difficult to play against him and to compete in the manner that he does with his teams. First of all, I have gratitude for the time I have had with him, which was incredible and then because I think he’s elevated all the coaches and teams to work in different ways, and he’s made all of us better. He’s been a pleasure, and now it’s Enzo [Maresca], who is as good as him because I know him well. He’ll provide something different to the club and I wish him the best.
on if he knew Guardiola might leave before it was announced:
100% not, but I had some feeling and some understanding that this could be. You could sense it in the last year that there could have been a situation of it happening, but with someone like him, he could wake up in the morning and be so excited about what he sees around him and carry on doing it – as he has done for 10 years, which nowadays is something just incredible.
on how special it was to win the league while Guardiola was still here:
It’s obviously one of the biggest challenges I have faced in my career, because I know the standards. They had the backroom, the stability, the quality to go and do it again, so it’s been a real challenge, but as I said, I took it in a way that regardless of what happened, this would make us better and push boundaries time after time in every department of the club, to try and reach this level. When I arrived here, I had a sense, in terms of distance and years, of how far we were behind, because I was there to witness the daily operation and the level to be able to win it. To do it in the time that we’ve done it, I think we should feel proud.
on the role Max Dowman will have this season:
He’s 100% with us, that’s for sure – he’s done the pre-season, and he’s in our system in every effect. How much he’ll play is like anyone else, he needs to earn it. If he earns it, he will play; if somebody else earns it, he won’t play that much.
on Myles Lewis-Skelly’s role within the squad:
It depends what happens with the squad, how he trains and the position. There are a lot of players that can play in various positions, and this is a huge quality we have in the squad.
on Maresca following on from Guardiola:
I don’t know the intricacies, but I know Enzo has the character and especially the knowledge to do an unbelievable job there. That’s why he has been selected, because they can probably pick anybody, and they’ve gone for Enzo for the right reasons. He has demonstrated at every level, when he’s gone to the Champions League, what he’s done at Chelsea and now at City. I’m sure he’ll do a great job.
on if he’s happy with the level of his side:
I think we’re in a really good place, doing some really good things, and we’re still adapting. We have a few days towards the first trophy, and then the Premier League is going to start a few days later, and I think we haven’t compromised anything; we’ve taken every situation with a lot of naturalness to get the team in the best possible condition.