Arteta on his "dark arts" to keep the media and managers guessing his starting XI

NicheSportMedia

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on his "dark arts" to keep the media and managers guessing his starting XI  29/10/2024  Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK

Transcript

00:00Since you've been here, just still how special is that trophy that's just yet to come?

00:08I can still picture the video of you dancing and dressing them, holding it in all the players.

00:13I mean, for all the title, going for the title and rebuilding the club and the squad,

00:19does that still stick in your heart and your mind as a real special moment?

00:22It was, it was such a special moment. Obviously the first trophy as a manager,

00:28especially what we were going through as a club in that moment after the COVID,

00:33which was an extremely difficult experience to all of us,

00:36so to bring some joy, unfortunately not being able to show it with our supporters live,

00:41but yeah, it was a great memory.

00:44I think when you talk to maybe some fans and they say,

00:48well, I'd rather finish in the top four and be in the Champions League

00:51than maybe win a League Cup or win an FA Cup,

00:54where in your mindset is it? Obviously you want to reach others,

00:57but how hard is it to give the preferential treatment that a club needs to go and win a trophy like that?

01:03I mean, maintaining the level, maintaining the hunger,

01:06maintaining the energy of a football team is extremely tricky.

01:09And when you think that you have everything, suddenly something happens, puff, and it comes down.

01:15So you have to be really alert. So every training session, every decision,

01:19every game is so important because at the end of the day,

01:21training is what energises you, is playing well, having a good feeling and actually winning.

01:26So you have to really look at every circumstance because it can really affect the team.

01:30So when it comes to this competition, the best thing we can do is perform really good,

01:34have a really good feeling about it and win. There's not a better thing that we can do.

01:38And just finally, this time it's Tommy Stepford, if he's the star,

01:41how nice it is in your head that you've now got a generation of keepers who are teenagers

01:46who have made their debuts, who have experience, who can step up?

01:50Because we often look at the squad in different positions and empires,

01:53but having that little keeper as well?

01:55Yeah, we have to build that, obviously, especially with Jack.

01:59We throw in there much earlier than we actually wanted.

02:03OK, it worked out and it was a beautiful day, but it's not ideal.

02:08You want to build something long-term, it's something that has to be built brick by brick,

02:13and they have to go through the right steps to those steps to be really solid,

02:18to be able to play at the level that we want them.

02:20That's what we are trying to do. It takes a while, but we have some good potential now.

02:26Just quickly, is it possible to win all four trophies?

02:29Is it realistic to even try and win all four?

02:32So we certainly have to try.

02:34That means that if you win a couple of them, you win three or you win the four,

02:39give yourself the best possible chance, that's for sure.

02:43Jürgen, can we always... I'm constantly asking you questions about which players you fit in,

02:49who you aren't fit in, you're always giving us updates...

02:53Sometimes more than...

02:56I understand, yeah.

02:58That was going to be the crux of my question, really,

03:01is that you tell us what you want to tell us.

03:04How much of that... Obviously, was he fit, wasn't he fit,

03:08did he look like he was and you told us he might not be, then he was.

03:11How much of that, the injury updates,

03:15how much of that is you making a decision on how much you want to give away

03:20to keep people guessing for your opponents, for us,

03:23to try and make marginal gains?

03:26That's my job. For me, I will tell you everything, but it has consequences.

03:31I need to be very careful because sometimes I can tell you a play is going to be a few weeks,

03:37and it's a few months, what happens.

03:40I don't know if a play is going to be fit in two days' time when we do the press conference.

03:43And sometimes when I know, I'm not going to lie to you.

03:46I'm not going to say, he's not fit, and then I play and I start.

03:49I would never do that.

03:51But if I am certain or I don't want to tell you, I will keep you guessing.

03:54This is my job.

03:55But as well, to keep these guys, everybody, alert as well, it's important.

03:59I was going to say, not accusing you of lying,

04:02but sometimes do you think you have to be a bit playful with how much you give away

04:08so that you don't give away too much?

04:11I don't want to make it easy for nobody.

04:13If the opponent has to work and think and prepare, make sure that they do the homework.

04:18I have to. I wish I knew the starting line-up and who's on the bench and so on,

04:22but I don't.

04:23It's our job as well to guess and do the work that we have to do.

04:27How difficult is it for a new manager to come into a club that has such huge expectations

04:41as you did here and have to build something with all that?

04:47How difficult was it for you to put in such a manager as a big club?

04:51It's very demanding, and even if you do an incredible job,

04:55your job is going to be to judge whether you win or not,

04:58and whether you win more than the exceptional teams that are already in this league

05:03that have been doing it for nine years.

05:05That is the level.

05:06So nobody is going to value how you have transformed something or do that.

05:10All they do is for a period of time.

05:12And even if you renew your contract, you can be in that position a few months later,

05:17and we've seen that.

05:18So that's the reality of our job, and we know.

05:22We are sitting here and we know that that's the case.

05:25Thanks, guys.

05:27Cheers.

05:30See you Friday.

05:34The other option is you don't ask me about it.

05:36I don't say nothing and then I don't have anything to do with it.

05:40That's the other option.

05:41See you guys.

Category

Transcript

Recommended