Mikel Arteta spoke to the press yesterday, here is the embargoed section of that press conference.
On Pochettino being a support when he moved to PSG …
I went from playing in Ligue 1 to Champions League a week later in Milan. So I was all over the place. I didn’t know, I could not speak the language. It was my first professional club and I needed someone to be close to me, give me confidence, give me support, because I was thrown in there and said, yeah, play. And it was in the starting XI. So he was always giving me advice, giving me confidence, coaching me, talking to me. He was really, really inspirational. He was really supportive. I was in the hotel with him for two or three months. So that period was key in my career to be able to make it. I don’t think without him that I wouldn’t have the time that I had in Paris and then start my professional career.
Any specific recollections …
He’s an expert of giving you confidence and then keeping you on your toes all the time. You know, and being really harsh on me and every time I was doing something just controlling me, you know, where you’ve been last night, he really looked after me.
On competing against him …
I think it’s beautiful. It’s something that will happen with Pep, I think it’s great that after those years that football puts you in this situation where you face each other and now we are both managing great clubs and in the best league in the world. It doesn’t get much better than that.
On Arteta giving him advice …
No! The only one is he gives me the ball. When I was there I was there, ‘Give me more of the ball when I was a holding midfielder!
Still looking up to him …
Yes, because I’m so grateful for what he did for me and the way he guided me in those early years. You know, he got something else out of me that was needed in that period to make it, and that has stayed for me in my football career, whether it was as a player or as a coach.
Match day is different …
Go for him! He’s going to do the same. We are both winners and there is nothing else left in 90 minutes.
On Mykhaylo Mudryk after Arsenal’s attempts to sign him …
Nothing. I can only talk about the players that play for Arsenal, nothing else.
Zinchenko’s message to Mudryk (that he was going to rip his balls off) …
I’ll leave that to Alex to reply to that comment!
On Declan Rice surpassing expectations …
I don’t know. We had big expectations for him. He’s doing really, really well. Obviously there is that question of how long is he going to take to do that, to glide into a team, to understand. But especially in big games, I think he’s been terrific and that’s what you need from your big players. So a big compliment to him because he’s done it very early and in a really natural way as well.
Is he a lighthouse?
He’s got big qualities that he makes the people around him better, he makes the team better. He’s always there, he’s a big person, he’s got his aura around him. And when you play for a big club, you need a player in midfield that is able to do that.
Was he a signing for ‘big games’?
Well, those players are very necessary in big games because you need big performances and players that can unlock a game or can contribute in key moments. But obviously we need him for every game to continue to develop our way of playing and be better.
Scrutiny of Havertz on his return to his former club
The last touch of the game that he had and the contribution he had against City was terrific. It was difficult to make the decision not to play him, but as well we knew that the last 25, 30 minutes against City were going to be critical and the impact that the sub had was detrimental for the result, and I’m really happy the way he reacted and contributed to the team.
Was it a big moment for him?
I hope so. I hope so. I can see that the confidence is shifting and he’s in a much better place and we have to continue to do that and he needs to play.
Fuck Chelsea!
Is she smart or good looking?
Fussy bastard
Assuming you mean smart as in well dressed.
I don’t think he meant to say that Havertz’s impact against City was detrimental for the result.
Yes, he meant determinative. I guess it was detrimental to Pep, which is good for us.
lol instrumental?! 😂
I think he meant it as an n detrimental to Man City
Instrumental was the word in his mind, I guess.
*determinante – determining, decisive (adj)
I’m sure Poch is a good guy but, after managing Chelsea and Spurs, my worldview would be unable to cope with me thinking he is anything other than a stone cold cunt.
Truth
To be fair to him he was sacked at Spurs and probably will be soon by Chelsea (hopefully we accelerate that outcome today) so could mean he’s not enough of a cunt that he would do well at those clubs or that they would tolerate him
Don’t forget PSG.
In other sad news, Arseblogger doesn’t seem to want to do the end bits any more on the Arsecast. I get that he’s tired of it, but it’s half the reason I listened to the Arsecast all those years.
ArsenalVision podcast is much more technically interesting, and LeGrove podcast is much more raw with fan emotion, so without the character bits, ArseCast starts to get lost in the middle somewhere.
Must be awful when the free thing you get isn’t exactly how you wanted it…
It’s ok to be sad about it, it’s a form of compliment. We all loved the characters and we all wish they wouldn’t go away.
I think my favourite bit on any Arsecast was the farty song recently off the back of James describing his cat (or was it dog) who’d done a poo in his office.
I think he still does it when he feels inspired, just not as much material for laughs in this team as in the days of Andrey Arshavin and Co. Oh Andrey you are so missed (as a person at least if not as a player)
Half the reason you listened? I never listen to those, so I guess the podcast content is 100% of the reason to listen for me. Kind of cheeky to be complaining about a small aspect of a free podcast that you chose to listen to. Who does that?
Is there any stream services for Arsenal matches in Australia apart from opus?
Zinchenko often seems to get into headlines for what he said. He talks too much. I hope he is fully focused for 100 minutes today because Sterling will get a few runs at him.
I meant to write Palmer not sterling