Ahead of Saturday’s curtain-raiser against Wolves, Mikel Arteta sat down with Sky Sports to discuss his ambitions for the season ahead.
Here’s what he had to say…
On how he feels ahead of the new season…
It gets more and more exciting, I think. Probably because you know the club, you know the players. We’re in a good trajectory. We have so much still to get done and achieve and I think the whole place feels really enthusiastic and energetic about the new season.
On whether his enthusiasm is driven by the possibility of winning the league this season…
I think it’s because I feel the joy of working where I work. I really enjoy the company, the people, the players, the staff, our supporters, and we’re also willing to do well and bring major trophies. But it’s going to be about the journey and we have to think about the start, where we want to be on day one. I think we had a good pre-season, we made some big strides and we’re ready to go.
On Arsenal’s win rate in 2024 (84%) giving him a belief he can look forward rather than back this summer…
For sure, that’s what we’ve done. To improve those numbers becomes really, really tricky. But this is the level that is required to win this Premier League and with the competition that we have in the league. Every year is going to be harder, so we have to be better. We have to find margins in areas that we haven’t explored and we all have to set new standards and if we do that, we’re going to give ourselves a really good chance.
On whether he turned off his football brain between the end of last season and July’s training camp in Marbella…
It was for a few days or a week or 10 days but then it’s a lot of things that you are feeling and you have to start writing and thinking and you start to have certain conversations with people, people around the club, people in other sports and you always feel connected, you feel connected with your team. I miss my players, I miss the staff. Is it something that is tiring? For me, it’s not. There are moments that are, obviously the amount of hours that we put in and work it’s unbelievable, but we all love what we do and the summer was great. I had a lot of time to think and to enjoy [time] as well with my family and friends, but I was so connected with the team and the direction we want to take as well.
On meditation helping him through the season…
I think it’s a routine. I think it helps on your work environment. I think it works with the quality in your relationships, whether that is staff, players, your own family. I feel better doing it. Sometimes I do sports and it helps me. Sometimes I watch other sports and it’s really helpful. It’s working, finding actually what makes you feel better and be better with yourself.
On where he gets his innovative ideas from…
There are certain areas as a team that you can always improve. You have to step back and and just feel feel the temperature, feel what the team needs, what kind of direction, what are we lacking. If we promote something, how they react to that. And the more we know them, the more we can help them. And then it’s finding creative ways to install that, to make them talk about certain things and give importance to certain things that probably are not in any stuff, but are very relevant to be competitive and win and that’s what we always try to do.
On whether he has new ideas up his sleeve to engage the team…
We have. Through the summer we have put a lot of things in place to evolve the team, to find a next level within this team, to inspire players. I think the players have to come and they have to see something new, something fresh, something that is, wow, this is a different dimension than what we are talking here. And we have players that are so capable, quality-wise, they are so coachable, they really want it, they are young, they want to do it. So let’s look at that.
On whether he can reveal any of his ideas…
Not about that topic, no sorry
On Jurrien Timber being like a new signing and how important he could be this season…
Yes, key. He’s an unbelievable player. He’s already earned the respect and admiration of all of us without playing. So that’s an unbelievable thing to do after only one season. We’re all desperate to have him on that pitch. His leadership, his skill, his composure, the way he competes, his intelligence, it’s going to bring so much to the team.
On Timber being a proper Arsenal player, the type he loves…
Yeah, because the team loves him. He makes them better. The way he coaches, he leads. He’s the first one there. He loves the game. He wants to improve. He’s an unbelievable player. Let’s make sure that he has the right consistency in the team and he’s going to have a huge impact.
On Riccardo Calafiori…
I fell in love with him. I watched him a year ago and I saw something different. An aura, a charisma, a presence that was not only related to his skill. So we started to follow him and when we saw him play he was 21 at the time and doing things and reacting to things in a way that 21 year old normally doesn’t. He had a really difficult past, a very difficult knee injury, and the way he reacted to that as well [was impressive]. And when I met him, he was so convinced he only wanted to come to Arsenal, he only wanted to play for us, so I’m really happy to have him.
On the importance of having players who want to be at the club…
Yeah, it’s unbelievable. When you sense that, what a privilege that we have a club that is so powerful and players want to come, the stars want to come. That’s a great sign for all the work that the club has done in the last few years, to get that acknowledgement from the external people. It’s a great sign when you look at something in their eyes and they say, “No, no listen, I just want to play here, I don’t want to go anywhere else,” it’s unbelievable.
On player personality being important and whether he’d sign someone without the right mentality…
Ideally, no, because we are so aligned as well. The player first is a human being. Is that personality going to fit with what we want and the values of the football club, the values of the team, the spirit we want to create, the ambition that you need to have individually as a player, and then the qualities that we need. So if the first filter is not there, it’s not going to work. And if it works, is it going to work for a very short period? We are here to be consistent and keep evolving this club much further.
On Riccardo Calafiori like his manager being good-looking and it being beneficial to the commercial team…
I don’t know, but that’s something that is not [important]. What I like about him is his body language. He’s a warrior, he’s a fighter, he loves playing football, he’s a massive competitor. And you saw the other day, after one or two actions [against Lyon], the supporters are there because you can sense the passion that he plays with every single ball.
On Opta’s ‘supercomputer’ giving Arsenal only a 12.2% of winning the title…
Nobody’s going to put more demands, there’s no computer, nobody externally is going to put more demands on us than we’re going to do ourselves. So that’s it.
Right now, I honestly wouldn’t swap Mikel for any other manager in the world.
I felt sad when such talented, likeable young players who seemed to be set to become Arsenal greats – namely ESR and Aaron Ramsdale – are jettisoned. But I have come to trust the process, change is inevitable as Mikel strives for the smallest of marginal gains to overcome 115 Charges FC (the fossil-fueled behemoth). Enjoy these days. They won’t last forever.
Speaking of Arteta, this week’s Guardian cartoon is pretty amusing
https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2024/aug/13/david-squires-on-mikel-arteta-maverick-arsenal-team-building-efforts?
Hahaha that’s brilliant
Fuck, this is exciting.
Arsenal have been blessed with such great coaches as G.G. A.W. and now Arteta over the last few decades, (I’m going to try and forget about the Terry O’Neill years) of course it’s also a sign of a well run, stable club with vision. just look at the state of Chelsea.
Beating Utd in the cup in 79 sealed the deal on my Arsenal loyalty. So there’ll always be a soft spot for Terry. Just don’t mention 78 and 80.
What an afternoon that was for a youngster. Crying when McClroy scored then running out to tell my mum (like she gave a fuck) when Sunderland won it. Oh to be that boy again.
Terry Neill.
God, I hoped we’d seen the end of that ridiculous ‘super computer’. What a colossal waste of time and- presumably- money.
It’s such a dumb term as well. It’s not doing quantum physics, it’s guessing football results. It doesn’t need to be a super computer, an excel spreadsheet on Dave’s laptop would be fine.
But just imagine trying to get clicks for a headline that Dave’s excel spreadsheet macro has predicted the PL title. It’s much more fun to imagine the computer from hitchhikers’ guide to the galaxy. The answer is 115 by the way.
It’s usually right though, isn’t it?
He’s needs to win something. Another barren season is simply not acceptable.
Based on what?
Based on the fact it’s the point of the whole exercise.
Artetas net spend since he’s been in charge is roughly 500 mil I believe, how much do you think it should cost to build a squad virtually from scratch to challenge this current city setup? I wonder how much did city spend in the 5/6 yrs prior to them claiming their first premier league title ,throw in the 115 charges on top of that and it makes the job artetas done up till now look even better, the fact fans question whether or not winning the title this year is classed as failure shows you how far arteta has taken… Read more »
I realise this is an unpopular comment, but there are 20 teams in the league and only 1 team can win it. That’s also how the Champions League works. Even the cups.
It is genuinely possible to have an amazing season, to be a great manager and a brilliant team and not win.
I would desperately love to win it. But it isn’t a failure to finish second. Its actually an incredible achievement when Liverpool are there and doubtless some other teams will click too.
What a loser mentality!
First is first and second is nowhere.
So FOUR SEASONS without winning anything would be a great achievement? Complete b****cks.
May as well still be finishing in 8th then. And the other 17 teams who basically have no chance of winning the league may as well just quit.
Entitlement without any context isn’t being a supporter, it’s just entitlement. No one is entitled to anything in this life. Get over yourself mate.
It’s OK FG We know your Lee Gunner in disguise
Not the only complete b****cks around here.
What would you do if you were a fan of a mid table team with zero chance of trophies unless they did a Leicester? What if you’re a Palace fan and they finished 4th, do you still feel this way? I don’t think so. MA had raised our level and that you’re even able to feel this way is thanks to him.
Logically you’re right of course but Fats is the constantly enraged uncle we’ve come to know and loge who only sees the glass 100% full or empty, no in between. If we finish a couple places higher than the season before we might get a pass, otherwise it’s trophies or bust for him and others of his inclination. Same for players – either they produce consistently or they should be sold and we should immediately buy an upgrade. What I love about Arseblog as opposed to Twitter and the likes is that here the nuanced and more positive voices generally… Read more »
Completely agree, I sometimes feel there is such an emphasis on winning trophies that our fan add forget we’re already amongst the best teams. We’re spoiled with how well we’re playing as is.
*fanbase
What an absolutely sp*rs-y thing to say…
Unacceptable? So, if we win 90% of our games, but finish 2nd to the cheating machine that is Man City by 1 point, and lose the Champions League final on penalties to Real Madrid, you would advocate firing Arteta because he didn’t win anything?
It’s funny that Liverpool, Chelsea and even rubbish Man United have managed to win stuff in recent years despite all City’s dominance.
Arteta needs to win things to prove that he’s not a nearly man.
I wholeheartedly disagree with the premise behind this statement and yet I agree that it will be important to have more tangible representation of the success this team has had.
I just can’t get on board with the idea that fluking the FA Cup with a team of dislikable and disorganised idiots that even their own fans don’t like is more of an achievement than building a team that won the league (excluding teams that cheated) with a group of brilliant, hardworking and talented players that have a genuine connection to the fans.
I think Arteta brings what every club wsnts to have, he bring progress in football as well as in financial terms, he also brings joy and satisfaction amongst fan with way we play our football, and finally he brings the sense og optimism, we started going into the season full confidence and faith that the season would ours.
You can’t get that in the entire premier league with exception of man city who are face legal charge that could tarnish every achievement they had
The super computer is a load of BS
Change of name from Le Groove to Arsebloog – cheers Bob
What’s this journalist on?
“Riccardo Calafiori is a good looking guy, in a good looking team, with a good looking manager, can I tell you about my dreams of frolicking with you all in the post match bath tubs? I have a delightful collection of rubber ducks, and even a wind up sucba diver, it’s so cool…”
Seriously. Maybe I’m wrong, and our team is handsom (which it is) by design, but I don’t think Mikel gives too shits about how his players look. He’d field 11 Bruno Fernandes look alikes if they were gonna win.
I don’t think it’s handsome by design, more handsome by chance.
If we have the most handsome side in football, then united have to have the ugliest- Martinez, garnacho, and Fernandes are a gruesome trio
We are good enough to win the league. If Odegaard avoids injury all season, we will probably be champions. Arsenal’s biggest transfer mistake was not buying a creative backup for Odegaard. Very hard to find someone with the quality we need in that position who will be ok sitting on the bench. But if Odegaard is injured for any period of team we are a far less effective side. He is critical in almost every phase of play and more irreplaceable than any other Arsenal player.
*any period of time.
Our most important and irreplaceable players are Saliba, Saka and Rice, with Raya looking like a fourth unless we make a new signing. I’d throw Havertz in there too; he is certainly unique. Odegaard is a key player no doubt, but I do think we have other players who can approximate what he does better than the putative alternates for the others I listed. Fabio Vieira, Ethan Nwaneri, Zinchenko, Saka all do Odegaardy things, and Merino will too once he finally arrives. That’s not to say any of them make him redundant but just to say that the team collectively… Read more »
So who would you suggest who can play almost as well as MO but would happy sitting on the bench ?
Morgan Gibbs White at Notts Forest, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka at Chelsea, Alex Scott at Bournemouth. And, of course, my preference and hope is that Nwanieri could fill in for MO if he goes down. But that may be a year too soon if we need him to boss our midfield for more than a few games in a row.
Might just be me but Miki’s recruitment of Calafiori and the likely Merano are 2 powerful 6 foot 2 additions to a powerful backline and a competitive midfield, not to mention the LANS Timber who looks like he could go a few rounds with AJ, Havertz also being the menace he can be, Miki seems to be building a team that will scare the shit out of our opponents in the tunnel, we still need that one 25 goal scoring guy upfront