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We take on Burnley in our final home match of the season on Monday and Mikel Arteta has been looking ahead to the big clash at Emirates Stadium.<\/p>\n
In his pre-match press conference, Mikel gave an injury update, as well as the atmosphere he can expect in N5 next week.<\/p>\n
Read every word below, with a video of the press conference to follow.<\/p>\n
on last night\u2019s City game:<\/strong> on team news:<\/strong> on possible plans for Tuesday:<\/strong> on who would host on Tuesday:<\/strong> on focus in the team:<\/strong> on goal difference:<\/strong> on the reaction to West Ham\u2019s disallowed goal:<\/strong> on Ben White missing the World Cup:<\/strong> on his options at right-back:<\/strong> on whether he watched the game last night:<\/strong> on goal difference being a factor:<\/strong> on Monday\u2019s game being at home:<\/strong> on Calafiori\u2019s fitness:<\/strong> on Mosquera playing right back:<\/strong> on what has pleased him most about this season:<\/strong> on the different pressure of leading the table:<\/strong> on the supporters meeting the team coach before the game:<\/strong> on how the players reacted:<\/strong> on what changed after the Man City defeat:<\/strong> on Timber\u2019s fitness:<\/strong> on the ability to adapt:<\/strong> on Calafiori playing at right-back:<\/strong> on whether he can take a risk at right-back:<\/strong> on whether he is a father figure to the younger players:<\/strong> on whether he treats everyone the same in the dressing room<\/strong>: on whether Timber has a chance to play this season:<\/strong> on whether he feels he has one hand on the trophy:<\/strong> on the influence of Spanish coaches:<\/strong> on what makes the difference for Spanish coaches:<\/strong> Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We take on Burnley in our final home match of the season on Monday and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Nothing; we focus just on the things that are in our hands, which is preparing the best possible way to beat Burnley, that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n
Not much at the moment, we still have a few days till Monday, so we\u2019ll have to wait and see how certain players evolve and whether they are available or not.<\/p>\n
We prefer just to beat Burnley, that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n
Again, I\u2019m sorry, we\u2019re not thinking about that type of thing, the only focus is Burnley and winning the game. That\u2019s the thing that we can control.<\/p>\n
The team is really present, it\u2019s just living the moment, it\u2019s emotionally in a really good state, I think, it\u2019s the right one. We have most players available now. OK, we lost Ben (White) the other day, but the other ones are coming back as well. Everybody is so enthusiastic and so positive about the way that we can finish the season.<\/p>\n
First of all, you have to earn the right to win the game. Obviously, you can make a difference with more goals, that\u2019s obviously even better. But we\u2019re all playing very tough matches. We had a tough match against West Ham and we managed to win it. It was a great feeling, but we know ideally that scoring goals is going to be important.<\/p>\n
The reaction from our side is extremely positive, because we were so happy with the outcome and the fact that we won the game, such an important game for us as well. We had a really, really intense week with the Champions League semi-final. In relation to the reaction, I haven\u2019t seen any of that, I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m very consistent on that since July to now, I think it\u2019s very clear, I don\u2019t think anybody that has football knowledge would question about the decision and that they took the right one.<\/p>\n
We have to wait and see, it looks like a long-term injury. At the moment, the focus is that can we have him back and be available for Arsenal and that\u2019s not going to happen in many, many weeks.<\/p>\n
We need to look at alternatives. The two players that we have, they are not available at the moment, so we need to look and do something else. The good thing is that we have experienced that all over the pitch this season, because when we had issues, normally they were in the same positions as well, and we have managed still to find the right level of performance and consistency, so I\u2019m sure we will do that.<\/p>\n
No, I was at a sponsored dinner. It was good, with Emirates. Very good, very nice people.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s part of the narrative. There are various options and this could be one of those. It\u2019s a factor that is important from the start of the season. We know that the difference is so small, and if you can make the difference bigger in your favour, obviously, we want to do it.<\/p>\n
It’s the schedule that we have. Obviously, it’s been extremely demanding from the beginning. The team has coped with that in a really fantastic way. There is no other choice. We have the opportunity and our supporters. It’s going to be a Monday night. Let’s take it in a really positive way. Hopefully, we do something incredible with our supporters. We can replicate any of that.<\/p>\n
No, we don’t know whether he’s going to be available. We still have days ahead. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. We’ll have to wait and see how he reacts.<\/p>\n
There are different options in relation to the opponents as well as the things I want to do. Not only one, but two or three options, because games can vary, players can pick up an injury. I don’t know. I want to be flexible on that.<\/p>\n
Probably the capacity to adapt to very difficult and demanding circumstances and still perform and win the number of games that we’ve done.<\/p>\n
The last few years have been different. We think we’ve been in both positions. It’s what it is. I think the fact that we’ve been at the top for a long time shows the level of consistency and how well the team has done. We’re still there in this league. It’s where we are now. More than ever, obviously, we want to finish in that position.<\/p>\n
I loved it. I think all the players have loved it. I think he builds an energy connection with them that we haven’t experienced before. The whole preparation and the whole atmosphere showed that the level of meaning was higher and the level of implication and desire and passion from our supporters was different as well. It really helped.<\/p>\n
The players were in the other bus, but I could see straight away all the staff and everybody was there looking at each other. I said, wow, we’re taking this now to a different level. Just looking at the engagement, the passion, the enthusiasm of our fans in their eyes, I think that was something.<\/p>\n
It was a reset moment. The performance was there and I think we deserved much more when we got out of the game. But we used that as fuel to be even more convinced and to understand that what we’ve done up to now is fine, let’s learn every bit of it and now let’s use it for the last five games. That’s what remains and we have every chance to go and do it.<\/p>\n
He wanted to be very close to the team. He’s progressed a little bit in the last few days. We’re going to try to get him fit and available as quickly as possible, but let\u2019s see. He’s been out for a while, unfortunately. He’s such an important player for us. We all know that and he’s doing everything he can to help the team in any capacity. We know his leadership, his quality and how much the team needs him.<\/p>\n
That goes back to recruitment as well. With the necessities and the demands that the players have nowadays, we need players who are comfortable, able and have the qualities to perform in different positions. Otherwise, it becomes really difficult, especially when you’ve been hit with injuries in the same positions for long periods of time. It would have been unsustainable. But the team has done, in that sense, I think is remarkable.<\/p>\n
I think the sample is so tiny. It’s very difficult to judge a player when he has low minutes. Declan Rice, when he’s played as a full-back, against Brighton, was exceptional. But then the other night, it was something else. It depends. The sample is still so little, it will remain so little from here to the end of the season to judge if a player is good enough who can perform in the position, and what is the cost of moving that player from one position to the other, and that’s the balance that we need to find.<\/p>\n
I don’t know if the word is risk. At the end, we have to make a decision because the circumstances require that. With Myles, it was a bit different. It was a choice because of what we saw and what we believed that he could do and what the team was needing and I think he’s done really well.<\/p>\n
They have great fathers and mothers. I don’t think they need a father. But they have somebody that they can rely on whenever they need, and we are very aware that at 18, you are a kid, but at 22, 23, you still have a lot to learn. At 28 as well. I’m 44 now, and I still have a lot to learn. I need great people around me to give me advice and support. We all need that in different stages. The thing is how willing they are and how humble they are to try to learn and to be given advice and support at the same time. That level, between support and demand, I think that’s when the sweetest spot is, and the families are critical.<\/p>\n
There are generic messages and generic demands to all of them. But then the players are very specific. They all are in a different moment as well. It’s not just about the age or the nationality. What the player requires to perform at the highest level. That’s what we have to try to provide.<\/p>\n
There is a chance. But how big the chance is, I cannot tell you. I’m being completely honest. He’s going to try to do everything he can to convert that chance as high as possible in the shortest possible period, and that’s the challenge ahead.<\/p>\n
I feel that we have another opportunity on Monday to take a step closer, and that’s the only thing.<\/p>\n
I think the contribution comes first from the opportunity given by this country, this league, to a lot of foreign managers to fulfil a dream and to give them the chance to do what they love the most in the best league in the world, in my opinion, and that’s it, and then it’s football. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But I think we are very grateful. Especially the way we get treated here and the opportunity that we are given.<\/p>\n
The players because they are the most important ones. The players are the ones who make the difference. I have no doubt about that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n