Every word from Arteta’s pre-Inter Milan presser | Press conference | News

Not long after touching down in Italy, Mikel Arteta was whisked to the San Siro to face the media ahead of our Champions League game against Inter Milan.

He was asked about the differences between this year’s fixture and last year’s, the importance of the game, team selection, injuries and much more. Here is everything he had to say:

on whether our point against Forest is now more important:
We weren’t satisfied with the result obviously, after watching the game back more and then with the other results, even more. But I think it shows the competitiveness of every match where the league is at the moment, how difficult and how much we have to value every point and every win because you really have to earn it in the league. And now we change the scenario, we are back in the Champions League, here again a year later and ready for tomorrow.

on what he expects from Inter:
A very similar context to last year, where the two teams are at the moment is a bit different. It’s a new manager as well; I think he’s given them some of the things that make up their identity and the way they play. But obviously we know they’re a super competitive team, a team that is dominating the league and a really tough game.

on if Cristhian Mosquera and Kai Havertz are in the squad:
Yes.

on if there are any other fitness updates:
No, that’s all.

on the scrutiny of Viktor Gyokeres:
I think it goes for all the no. 9s in the league and how difficult it is to play that position nowadays with the physicality, the dominance of the centre-backs and the quality of them, and the lack of spaces as well most of the time during the match for them to exploit. But that’s about consistency, about going again. We know his work rate, he’s really trying to give his best and we need to continue to work.

on how important this game is going to be momentum-wise:
Yes because every game in the Champions League, when you have the opportunity to achieve something, you have to grab it. Tomorrow we’re really going to have to earn it against a top, top side, we know that. And then we prepare every game obviously to win it, and the urgency is going to be the same tomorrow.

on whether he has to think about team selection with a big game on Sunday:
It’s very particular for every game, I’m afraid, because every game has a different situation, and the players are in different stages as well. We will prepare the game, the line-up and the finishers in the best possible manner to win the game.

on how big a challenge it has been having four successive away games:
We have to adapt to that; that’s the beauty of playing different competitions and being in the latter stages in all of those. That’s what we want, so I think that’s a blessing, that’s something really, really positive, and then tomorrow we have the last one before we play at home again against Manchester United.

on whether these next two games are the most important this season:
We keep tricking the players – the next one is the most important one this season, and then three days later it’s the same! That’s the demands, that’s the expectations that we have, that’s the standard that we have set as well as a team and as a club, and we are living with that, with joy, with enthusiasm and with a lot of energy as requested.

on why we benefit from using inverted wingers:
Sometimes it’s about the preference of the players, where they feel more comfortable, and the way we are raising players at the moment, most of them want to play with inverted footers; they feel much more comfortable. In the manner that we play, we adapt to that, we adapt to the qualities. The fact that in some areas we have only inverted footers, especially in the left unit, is not ideal when that happens. But we adapt to the circumstances and what we have available.

on whether he will make some changes for this game:
Let’s see. After a really good night of sleep, how will we decide tomorrow morning.

on the difference between Inter last season and now:
They have some different players in the team, a different coach as well. I think the task is going to be equally difficult, but I think we had, watching it back, a really strong performance here. The margin that we lost the game by was a penalty – obviously we all saw what happened there, and were very disappointed. We’re going to know tomorrow how they set up. We have a very clear idea of what we have to do to win the game, and what we need to apply to be better than them.

on whether our unbeaten run can give us an edge in the knockout rounds:
I don’t know, performance and result have an impact emotionally on the team, to a level of confidence and we know that the match tomorrow is to come here and win the game. That’s a step that we didn’t do last year, and we have to show that we are better than last year.

on whether he’s tempted to play Ebere Eze:
It depends on the game, depends on the type of opponent that we see, and then on performances throughout the game. We see things that we can do, how we can hurt the opposition more, and we have the ability to change that.

on whether the squad is capable of playing 65 games in a season:
Yes, but I think we have to go game by game. We can try to look ahead, what is coming and what is relevant is the next match, and sometimes we’ve been thinking a lot about the future, the next week or two, three weeks’ time, and something happens and you have to adapt to the circumstances. So, go game by game and enjoy the journey that we are in, because it’s great. Go for it every single game and let’s see what the next one brings.

on how important it is to have a top-eight finish:
That’s massive, we know that, and if we win tomorrow, we know that’s going to be the case. So, let’s make it happen.

on inspiring his players:
The first thing you have to do is convince the players. When they look at you, when they hear what you’ve said, when they buy into it, this has always been the idea. We’ll see every game, tomorrow is going to be a different game, there will be moments when I think we’ve dominated, but we also think we can dominate them. We’ll see. It’s always about adapting.

on what Arsenal have to do differently against Inter Milan this time around:
They’re a closed team, a bit aggressive. In the first phase, they’re aggressive. Where they lose the ball, they’re more aggressive in getting it back. Then they have the talent, the ability, the mentality. We’ll see how the game is tomorrow. We are very clear about what we have to do to play the game we want to play, and then you deserve it. It has to be when we have the opportunity to score the goal, and then dominate these things, which are vital.

on playing at the San Siro:
Yes, yes, I played here. I had my debut as a player here at PSG around 25 years ago, so, it’s a very important stadium for my career.

on why went out and had a look at the stadium before the press conference:
We always do it. I always like to go around, watch, feel the atmosphere and talk to my players.

on Christian Chivu’s managerial style:
Every coach wants to show their identity. There are parameters and phases that are very similar to before. Chivu has given Inter his stamp, there are players who are different. like [Manuel] Akanji, who gives them a lot defensively, I know him well, he has the ability to occupy different spaces.

on how he learnt Italian:
I have a lot of Italian friends. It’s a culture that I have always liked a lot. If I can speak another language, it’s always better. 

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