Every word from Arteta’s pre-Atletico presser | Press conference | News
Mikel Arteta has faced the media ahead of our UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid at Emirates Stadium.
Following a 1-1 draw last week in Spain, it’s all to play for in N5 as we aim to reach our first Champions League final since 2006.
Mikel gave an injury update, as well as speaking about our Spanish opponents and what it would mean to reach the showdown at the end of the month.
Read our full transcript below or watch the full thing shortly.
on Havertz and Odegaard:
They are available, they are in the squad, both of them.
on having both of them in the squad:
Great, because we need options, we need the capacity to play different games tomorrow, whether it’s from the start or after. So it’s really, really good news for us to have them both back.
on the game being the biggest in Emirates history:
I can’t wait. I mean, I feel the energy in and amongst the team, our supporters, so these are the moments that we want to live together. We had a lot of work as a club, as a team, after 20 years to be in this position again, and we are so hungry to get a game that we want tomorrow and go through to the final.
on Bukayo Saka’s return to fitness:
Great, that’s what we need when we arrive in this stage of the competition – the players not only to be available, but to be in top condition to perform and make the difference, and Bukayo will certainly give us that.
on if he’s excited for the match:
Huge excitement, really hungry. It’s difficult to express the desire to live that moment. Especially with our people in front of them, they’ve been waiting for so long to have these kinds of nights. Push hard tomorrow, because it’s something amazing that’s going to happen.
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on his final messages to players and supporters:
Go and grab it. When you are in front of such an opportunity, it means that you are ready to deliver, and the team is going to go from the first minute to go and get that.
on the conversation he’s had with his players:
First of all, to get the best preparation for the game. We know the game that we’re going to be playing tomorrow, the games that we’re going to play tomorrow within that game. Be prepared, be ready, big quality, big clarity, and deliver on the day. That’s the most important thing.
on if he’s pictured lifting the Champions League:
I’ve done it many years ago. The thing that I had in mind for this club, you can never promise to win major trophies. You can promise to work every single day with the vision and implementation and being determined with the ideas and the decision that you take to bring this club to be one of the best in Europe, and here we are, now we have to make the next step.
on if Myles Lewis-Skelly has given him a selection headache:
I know Myles, but the same with Myles, the same with Richy (Calafiori), all the players, Mosquera when he’s been involved, a lot of players. So that’s a good thing. We always talked about in this moment we need players with a great emotional state because I think that determines the rest, and we are feeling very good for tomorrow.
on if his message to the players is to have no regrets:
The first word, I never like to put it into such a big night. It is about what we want to happen, what we are going to do. That’s the thing that we’ve been discussing.
on why he thinks we will go further than last year:
What I see every single day. They are giving me the reason to believe, to trust these players and to be convinced that we can do it in any context against any opponent. This is football and tomorrow we’re going to have to prove it throughout the game.
on the competition at left-back:
(Calafiori and Hincapie are) very different. We’ve rarely had both of them available at the same time for long periods so we’re more restricted in terms of the opponent and the connection that we’re going to generate throughout the game or with the teammates to choose from there. Now they are both available and that’s a great option because they are, as you said, so different.
on the win over Fulham being good preparation:
For us it’s great preparation. It’s the preparation and the schedule that we had. We maximised that in every term and the team has so much energy and is ready to go for more.
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on his message to the supporters:
I don’t think its messages needed. It’s what is at stake; it says it all. I think it’s the occasion, it’s the moment, it’s the game. Let’s live this together and let’s make it happen.
on how he will prepare tonight:
I will sleep well for sure. I’m used to working these types of hours, so there is no change, and the reason for the change is to play the Champions League semi-final tomorrow, that’s great.
on how tough it is to win this competition:
How tough is it to be in the position that we are in? Our history tells us. The level of every team and the competition shows every day that being here deserves a lot of credit to everybody that is involved. We know where we want to be.
on if the Fulham win was more beneficial than resting players:
Yes and as well we didn’t do anything related to tomorrow’s game. Everything was related to Fulham and what we had to do to win the Premier League, and that’s what we did. I think it left a really good taste for everybody, players, the team, the supporters. Now we have to use that momentum towards tomorrow because it’s exactly what we need.
on if the home support can make it intimidating for the Atletico players:
It was an unbelievable atmosphere. One of the best that I’ve witnessed and it was great to play there. I can’t wait. I can’t wait to live this moment with our supporters, our people and generate something really, really special to get into that final.
on the confidence in his team after 58 games in the season:
What I’ve said, I think that the way we compete, the way we play and the desire we have to win has shown me all year that I have to trust them. That conviction comes from what I see and what I feel. Tomorrow will be a different game but we are ready to play it, we are ready to compete and above all to win it.
on facing Julian Alvarez:
I can’t control that. Tomorrow they will do something, they will start with some players, they will finish with others. We will adapt as always and we will play the game that we think is best for us.
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on how he thinks he’s perceived as a coach in Spain:
I don’t know. I don’t know because I don’t live there. I imagine, or I hope, someone with a lot of passion, honest, and who gives absolutely everything for his club and his players.
on how important it is to have the ground full:
A dream for us. To have the possibility tomorrow to go to a Champions League final in front of our people, something we haven’t experienced in so many years, something special and we really want to experience it.
on becoming a legend at the club:
The only thing I have is to finish preparing tomorrow the best possible game, the team and to go out there and enjoy the moment.
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