Here is every word Mikel Arteta said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano
Mikel Arteta faced the media ahead of his Arsenal side’s meeting with Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners boss is looking to make history and hopes to put one foot in a first final since 2006.
There were question marks over several players, including Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber who both missed the open training session. Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, however, did train, as did Riccardo Calafiori, who could make his return.
Diego Simeone confirmed that Julian Alvarez is also a player who has drawn plenty of interest from the likes of Arsenal. Plus, there was a reaction to the announcement that the Gunners’ last home game will be scheduled for Monday, 18 May, causing significant backlash.
READ MORE: Julian Alvarez to Arsenal transfer twist as Mikel Arteta pressed on deal hours before matchREAD MORE: Mikel Arteta gives quadruple Arsenal injury update vs Atletico as Kai Havertz latest confirmed
Every word from the manager:
Can we start with some player updates, please? Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze, they came off at the weekend, so are either of them available for tomorrow?
Kai is out and Ebz is ready to go.
Riccardo Calafiori wasn’t in the squad the weekend, but was training and Jurrien Timber. He’s been out for a little while, so are either of those in the squad or available?
Yeah, those two are available for tomorrow. (Read on for clarification)
So, tomorrow’s a big match, after the pressure of the weekend, after the big result in the Premier League, after things have been difficult for you, so how much confidence have you taken from that after a run of games?
Well, after that win, a massive win for us against Newcastle, you could sense straight away the energy, the confidence coming into this game. It’s a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row in the semi-final of the Champions League, representing our club, and yeah, what an opportunity we’re going to grab with both hands. We’re going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, and that wants to start to decide the tie tomorrow.
As you mentioned, a big achievement being in the semi-final of the Champions League, back-to-back years, but what are you expecting from Atletico tomorrow?
A really tough match, a team that has amassed so much experience in the competition, that they have every right to be here, because what they’ve done, again, is remarkable. We know the difficulty of the match, but I think we have shown in Europe, in any ground, what we are capable of. We’ve been very consistent, and tomorrow we have to play with that confidence, with that desire and that will. We have to come here to win the game.
Can I just double-check, you did say Jurrien is available tomorrow?
You spotted that well.
Yes, I did. What a hell of a boost that is, because he’s such an important player for you.
Jurrien is not in the squad.
Oh, I’m sorry.
Richy and Bukayo they are in the squad.
Oh, OK, I’m sorry, we misunderstood. We were talking to Martin before, and he was talking about the opportunity to make history, and just what an amazing period this is, really. What an opportunity. Is that what it’s all about? These incredible seven games ahead of you, and the opportunity that you have now?
That’s the way we are all feeling, and that’s the energy that I feel amongst the team and the club. This is the stage that we want to be, and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality in the last nine months. And now is the moment to make a statement and show how good we are, how much we want it, and make it happen; it’s clear. The opportunity is in front of us, and we have to attack it.
Can you talk a little bit about what you need to do when you play here against this Atletico Madrid team, Diego Simeone? Are there things that you have to think about and take into consideration that you wouldn’t necessarily anywhere else? And is this a place where you need cool heads as much as anywhere else?
Yes, I think every opponent and every context, whether it’s the stadium, the opponent, the manner that they play, have differences. And there are things that obviously have to be highlighted, whether they are strengths or weaknesses as well. And especially against them, there are moments in the game and we have to manage that so, so well to be successful in the game.
You beat Atletico quite convincingly. Do you gain any psychological advantage from that? And do you reflect on what happened against PSG last season when you beat them in the group stage but were knocked out in the semi-final? Has that been part of your messaging to the players?
No, because it’s not a very positive one. There are a lot of positive messages that I can send to the team. Obviously, we learn things from that game. But tomorrow’s game is going to be a completely different one. Especially playing here, we know what they’ve done and what they are capable of. And as well, because we have now some experience as well in these kind of games. And we know exactly what we have to do.
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I don’t know if you saw Diego Simeone’s news conference or were aware of what he said. It’s quite a few headlines because he said that Arsenal, PSG and Barcelona are interested, in Julian Alvarez. So it’s a two-part question for you. Are you and how big of a threat is Julian Alvarez?
You know that I don’t talk about any player who is not out player.
There’s a weather warning tomorrow. Potential storms and very heavy rain.
We’ve been unlucky, yeah.
Yeah, very much so. There’s been a lot of talk about the pitch here as well in recent weeks. I just wonder what you make of that and how big a problem that might be for the way you play.
We adapt to any context. And for the last nine months, imagine the amount of games we have played, given that we have played in different scenarios, different contexts, with different opponents. So we adapt to the conditions tomorrow in the best possible way to be ourselves and win the game.
This is obviously the second season in a row you’ve reached the semi-finals. Do you feel like you belong at this stage? And do you feel this group is now ready to take the next step and reach the final?
I don’t take it for granted. Because a very short time ago, this club had seven years without a Champions League. So in those very short periods of time, what we have achieved is remarkable. And we know the difficulty of it. We know how much we’ve worked for this. And yeah, enjoy it. Take the opportunity. Embrace it. Because it’s very tough to be here.
It’s a slight tangent, but it was announced today that your Premier League game against Burnley is going to be played on the Monday night. And the Arsenal Supporters Trust has put a statement out in their disappointment about that. I just want to get your reaction to that announcement.
I’m not surprised. It’s the last home game of the season. You want to play at the weekend, and I think the time and the date were set, and now it’s been changed. So it’s not ideal, especially for our supporters. But the TV has the right to do so. So they’ve done it. But unfortunately, we’re going to have to adapt to that as well. And play our game. And try to have everybody in that stadium in the same manner, with the same energy. Because obviously, we know what is at stake.
I just want to question about Jurrien Timber. So on behalf of the Dutch people, as the World Cup is approaching, how is he doing? And when do you expect him back for a season?
We don’t know yet. He’s doing some stuff on the pitch at the moment. But we need to get the gears up and be able to do more things before he can come back to us.
In terms of goals scored, do you sometimes wish that the chances around the box were taken more? There appears to be a lot of chances. But in terms of scoring goals, it’s been a struggle in recent weeks. What are your thoughts on it all?
Well, we have to do better. We can take shots, the quality of those shots. And it was a great example in Newcastle, where it can happen. So we want to improve in every department. But at the same time, to be where we are sitting here tonight, you have to be exceptional. One of the top four teams in Europe to be here. So imagine how difficult that is.
We spoke earlier about going out and making a statement tomorrow and dominating the game. Do you think in your eyes it’s key to head back to the Emirates with a sort of advantage in terms of the semi-final? And what does that statement look like in your eyes?
That’s what we want to do. We have prepared the game to win it. There’s no question about that. We have to be ourselves and do what we do constantly with our opponent. And then, okay, let’s see what the team throws, the level that we can show, the quality that we can show. And hopefully that’s going to be the case.
