Every word of Mikel’s pre-Bayern Munich presser | Press conference | News

Mikel Arteta was back in front of the media for his pre-Bayern Munich press conference at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Tuesday.

Our manager was asked for his reflections on our north London derby win, how he’s feeling ahead of Wednesday’s return to UEFA Champions League football and more.

Here’s everything he had to say on the following subjects.

on still feeling the energy from our 4-1 win over Tottenham:
Yes, I do, and we have to make sure we carry that energy back to the stadium tomorrow, to each individual, and play with the same dominant aggression and efficiency against a top side.

on if Martinelli and Madueke are in contention to start tomorrow and who else could be involved:
They are, and we’re going to have a meeting now to decide on Martin [Odegaard]. He was very close for the previous game, so we are hopeful that tomorrow he can be in the squad as well.

on how Gyokeres and Havertz are progressing in their rehab:
Really good, both of them. In the next few days, they’re going to have a repeat scan to see how everything is and where we can push them for the weekend.

on how to approach this game:
We have the same intention to win it, we’ve had a really good preparation again, a really short one, but we’ve been very efficient as well. We know the importance of the match, we are in a really strong position, we want to maintain that for sure and we know that we have a beautiful and very demanding game ahead of us.

on if he’s looking forward to the challenge of facing Bayern Munich:
For sure, this is the kind of game in the competition that we want to face, and we’ve been very consistent in both competitions; they have been as well, and tomorrow is a great test for us to see where we are.

on if Sunday’s atmosphere was the best he’s experienced at our stadium:
It has to be one of the best for sure, and the atmosphere, the energy created as well just before the game, I think it was excellent, and it makes such a difference, the players were talking about it, I hope our supporters realise what they bring; the joy, the confidence, the energy to the players, and we have to maintain and improve that constantly because it’s a massive superpower that we have.

on all four goals against Spurs being from open play:
For me, it’s the same value; it doesn’t change. Everything is part of the game, and in relation to the position we play, how we defend, and the options that we have, we have to be very efficient in all departments. I’m upset that we didn’t score on a set piece, I want to score on a set piece as well, I’m upset that we conceded a goal. So it’s being at our best in everything that we do, that’s the aim.

on if this is the biggest challenge of the season so far:
Well, every opponent brings different challenges. They are in a great moment. The level of consistency they show in resource, performance, in every metric that they have, it’s very, very impressive. We know that, but that’s a massive opportunity as well for us to show what we are capable of.

on if he always thought Vincent Kompany would make a good manager:
My feeling was that Vinny was going to be excellent at whatever he chose to do, and I’m very happy that it went so well for him, because he has such a presence, intelligence, love for the game, work rate, so I knew whatever he was going to touch, he was going to make it really good, so I’m not surprised at all 

on the challenge of reintegrating injured players when the levels are so high:
Especially because they’ve been out for a long period of time, six, seven, eight weeks, and that’s quite a long time, but to be fair when I see them training today as well and how willing they are, all of them to play a part to start, ideally, in the camp, it’s great. So they seem to be in a good place, we have to manage that because we have a very demanding week and opponents, but they will manage to bring it in, which is great to see, and the rest are great.

on how to keep players calm who are eager to get back on the pitch:
Well we have to look at the individuals obviously and make sure that they are ready to start a game like this, and the second one as well is for how long they can play. We need to be very mindful about how many of those players we put on the pitch because most of them might not be available to finish 90 minutes, so we need to be conscious about the subs that we need to use, how we’re going to use it, the windows that we have, in order to be very efficient with our decision-making throughout the game, and we’ll plan in regards to that.

on having to decide between such high-quality players like Eze and Odegaard:
I do because the priority is for the team to be as efficient as possible and to win football matches as a priority number one, and they’re going to have to deal with those situations. Players are going to have to merit to play, and the higher the standards each individual puts in, the higher the level of the team is going to be. So we’re going to have to live with that in a really positive way because it’s something extraordinary.

on if every position in the team should be competed for:
It is and it has to be. I’m thankful that we have improved the depth of the squad and the quality compared to previous years as well because it’s going to be more needed than ever. Football this season compared to last season is already different. Three seasons ago it was a different league, and I wanted to be conscious of that. The other teams and the other squads in the league are built in the same way. 

on what Gabriel Heinze brings to the coaching staff:
His experience, he’s a winner, he’s won in many clubs he’s been at. He had a very different education as well, we’ve known each other for 23 years, I’m very close to that, that brings something extra. That level of passion Gabriel shows in a way, but others show it in a different way – Molina, or Nico, or Iñaki, and everybody that is around. It’s great because at the end, what I’m really happy is that we complement each other really well, and everybody brings a different insight, a different character, a different personality, to the table that makes us a much better team, it makes me a much better coach as well, which is the intention to have the best resources to give to the players. 

on when Gabriel Jesus could be a part of the squad:
Yeah, he’s quite close to be fair, and it’s earlier than we expected, in the next few days he’s going to have another step to make, with a game that we’re going to organise for him, and after that he’s just going to be knocking on the door, because he’s Gabriel, a winner, that’s how it’s happened.

on how Hincapie performed on his debut in place of Gabriel:
Yeah, well, big credit to Piero, because that’s a massive challenge, to have your Premier League debut starting against your biggest rivals in a really special day against top players up front, to replace Gabi. It’s not easy at all, he did it in a really convincing way, that’s his personality, as I said before, he’s a warrior, he’s somebody that faces any challenge, and he certainly did that on Sunday.

on if we are one of the elite European teams or if we need to beat a team like Bayern to become one:
I don’t know, if you talk about performances and consistency, hopefully, yes, but to consider that in terms of the trophies at that level, I mean, we have never won the Champions League in our history, and Bayern Munich won six. We are nothing compared to Real Madrid, they’re a different universe. So, we’re going to get there. 

on how much beating Bayern would give us the belief that we can challenge on all fronts:
Yeah, we had the same question before Sunday, and great, we won it, then we go, and then you finish the game, then they won it, it’s Bayern Munich. And now we’re going to do Bayern Munich, and we’re going to try to beat them for sure, and then it’s going to be Chelsea, and this is how ruthless at the moment the schedule is, it’s demanding, but at the same time, how privileged we are to be involved in three incredible games in six days.

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