Mikel Arteta’s “Monday Night Football Special”- full transcript

We weren’t planning to do this, it just happened. 

Here’s a transcript from Mikel Arteta’s 45-minute chat with Jamie Carragher that aired as a Monday Night Football Special on Sky Sports in the UK last night. No doubt the full video is available somewhere, but sometimes it’s useful to read things to better digest exactly what has been said. 

While some of the grammatical errors are likely to be ours, as a non-native English speaker with a mind that always seems to be whirring with ideas, Arteta’s words flow like a stream of consciousness. Inevitably, that leads to his sentences blending! Just something to bear in mind when reading…

In the first section Arteta talks about his background, in the second he’s with Carragher reviewing clips of matches from this season and in the third there’s a quick-fire Q&A style that ends up reverting to a typical interview situation. 

Arteta and his background

On where the coaching idea came from…

I was 26 to 27 and I started to have that necessity to understand the game better. As a player my biggest vulnerability was that I was jumping onto the pitch and I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen, it was too unpredictable and I wanted to have the feeling that I could have more certainty going into the games. I decided at 28 to start doing my coaching badges, I started them when I was at Arsenal, Arsene was very supportive with it, I started to really enjoy that process and I took it step by step. When I was 30, I remember that Pep made the first call to say “I might be coming to England, will you become my assistant?” I said, “I’m still playing, it’s still too early.” But that gave me another motivation to understand that whenever I decided to stop playing, I wanted to start coaching. 

On Pep getting in touch…

We met when I was 15 years old. He was my idol, he was the one to try to emulate if I wanted to be a first team player at Barcelona. We built that relationship from there. Then it was weird because when I was still playing and he was Barcelona manager and Bayern Munich manager, he used to call me to ask about English teams and how would you play against that and we built that relationship. One day he was very clear to me, the day that I’m in England, I have a dream to do what I did in Barcelona in this league when everybody says it’s impossible to do and I’d like your help and support and experience to help me achieve that dream. That was it. 

On whether as a player he started to have input on how the team should play…

As a player, you have to respect the vision and the idea of the manager. I think after you have to have certain room as a player to try to give the manager your opinion or where you think you can affect the game more or be more productive for your team. I had coaches in my career that were really good at convincing me to do certain things, but as well very open to listening to what the team needed. For example, with David [Moyes] when I was at Everton, he asked me to do things I never did in my life but that made me a better player. I think there’s a word “adaptability” that as a player and a manager you have to have that capacity to adapt. I played in different countries where I didn’t know the language, I have to adapt quickly, play in different positions. As a manager, you have those challenges because you can have an idea but the reality is that the only protagonists in this industry are the players. You have to give them the tools and put them in situations where you can maximise the resources that you have. Sometimes it’s not an ideal situation but it’s the best for the team in that moment. 

On how tough it was to leave Arsenal as a player (when a coaching job was on the table) for City…

It was a tough decision, yes. I was really attached to Arsenal and I could see that there was a role there that I could fulfil and it would be really helpful but again, going back to the story, it was building many years before with Pep. I thought that was the right step for me, I wanted to experience that, I had my fears because I hadn’t coached anybody, so how am I going to go to the best coaching staff in the world and give something back that you’re expecting me to do, but Pep was so convinced about it that I made a decision to go there. 

On having no experience and being asked to coach some of the best players in the world…

I think I was able to do it because Pep was so supportive, so open and he gave me so much licence right from the beginning that it made my job easier. At the beginning just listen a lot, talk very little and you have to get the dynamic of the coaching staff, what the manager really wants to understand because it’s one thing the idea and another is the daily basics and the processes in place to deliver what a manager wants. With the players, it was easy. They were a great group of players, they welcomed me so much. I think then, it’s about building trust, that what you’re telling them, what you’re trying to do with them makes sense, that they feel like they are becoming better and slowly build those relationships. At the end, support the manager, challenge him to be able to be better. That’s what an assistant coach should do. 

On what responsibilities he had under Pep…

At the beginning, a lot. We had to change a lot of the departments, we had to understand the culture of English football, how referees act, how the media worked. There were a lot of things where Pep was interested and I had spent 14 or 15 years of my life in this country, so he was very interested in that. First of all, give him support to understand the context, some of the things were going to go straight away against the culture of English football and it was going to take a while to break the wall. But when you have a person who is so determined, so clear, so focused and has such strong beliefs, you just die for him. It took a while, the first year it wasn’t easy but the process we put in place, the roles we had and the characters we had around the coaching staff, it was helping. At the beginning it was more about setting the training sessions, supporting the training session, doing a lot of individual things with the players and then it was about preparing game plans, making decisions during matches and looking at the picture ahead, how we’re going to evolve the squad to be the best in the league. It was great to be a part of that. 

On whether there were concerns that criticism in the media could affect the players…

No, not the players. The players were so convinced when the best manager in the world jumps in your dressing room, you’re going to do whatever you tell me because you’ve been so successful. I’m talking about the football culture the crowd had in the country. When you have to use the keeper three times to play backwards to create certain overloads or certain spaces that you want to exploit, people were asking, “why is he passing the ball backwards, why backwards?” That took a while and sometimes there was that “grrr, grrr” in the stadiums, especially when it wasn’t going well. Now they are so used to it. You go to the Etihad and they know, they get it, they know what to expect and what is happening and everything clicks. But that took a while. 

On when he decided he wanted to be a manager…

I was clear when I started the coaching badges that one day I would like to be a manager. The question is when. I don’t think you ever feel prepared to take that step and certainly not to take the step that I did and take a club like Arsenal. You are jumping into the swimming pool with all the sharks there and I was still very young and had everything still to prove. That’s what you have to do. 

On whether he was concerned by the size of Arsenal…

It is a worry. As well, the timing of it. You’re in the middle of the season, the club was in a really difficult place, the atmosphere around the whole place was difficult. And I’d never done it in my life. Then you see the people sitting around you, the owners, Edu, Vinai was involved and they are so convinced that you are the right person. Ok, I might have to believe that I am. Then you have to stay day-by-day trying to convince the people around every department, getting them to understand the players, getting the players to understand what you want to do and it takes a while to build that relationship.

On the importance of the FA Cup win…

It was…and during Covid, basically. After two months in the job, Covid hit and we had to stop everything, so to generate any connection and cohesion and atmosphere was extremely difficult. Winning a trophies gathers everybody together, it sets some belief, win won some time as well because of that win. It was a unique moment as a manager to win something, something as a club after that many years as well, it was great. 

Adapting style to win the FA Cup…

I could feel that with certain players playing in certain positions it wasn’t the way I wanted to play, it wasn’t going to work out. I had to be more pragmatic. Where can we be more protected and where can we take advantages. I made those decisions, we made those decisions as a coaching staff to try to get the players in areas where they could be at their best. With them at their best we were closer to the opponents we had to face (in the FA Cup run), the best three opponents in this league. I think that’s the reason we managed to win. 

On being questioned in his second season…

It’s all through the Covid period, a lot of the issues we had. We had issues with players, external issues, it was a season with a lot of questions around everything. But I always felt support from the ownership, from Edu, from everybody. I knew, I was convinced that what I was doing at some stage was going to work. I was clear as well, where the squad and the club was and what was realistic and what we could aim for. It was with the expectation that we have to have as Arsenal Football Club. 

On what he learned…

A lot. First about the difficulty of the job, about the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, the right professionals, the right human beings and then the third one, about sticking to what you believe and what your gut tells you. If you start to listen too much about what you should be doing, what you’re not doing right, you end up affecting what you are trying to do. I think when you are in those moments, keep driving and keep doing what you believe in. 

On who keeps him going…

The most important ones is my wife and family because that’s when you really open up and open your feelings and exactly what you are feeling. Then the coaching and the staff around you, they are critical, you can sense what is happening, how they are feeling, how they can help you. The third one is to have a club behind you that is understanding what the situation is, what it’s going to take to move from where we are to there. The good thing is that I had a really clear plan. I put a plan of five different phases for the club. Where we are compared to the rest of the teams, the timeline and everything we have to hit in every phase. We are ahead.

On the club coming together…

When we talk about success, it’s lifting a cup. For me personally and everybody that is involved it’s also about what we’ve generated around the club. When I left the club and I was somewhere else, looking back at all the comments [about] the energy, when I went to the stadium I felt that and it really touches my tummy. One day, if I have the chance, this is the first thing I would like to change that people are proud, that people are passionate, that people want to fight, that they have the back of the club no matter what. It was too depressing, too critical, too much anger there, it was never going to work out. Changing that culture, that environment and bringing light to the club is just beautiful. I can see people coming to watch us, people working for the club that are enjoying it. That has transmitted to the players in a powerful way and hopefully, we can carry on.

On the Aubameyang situation…

I didn’t take that decision, we took that decision as a club. Obviously, it was my recommendation and what I felt. If we want to get where we want to get, we need to do that but I wouldn’t like to single out one player. It was with several players. It was part of the strategy, part of what we are trying to build. At the end of the day, when you are in that process and you want to go faster, there are people that are holding that boat [back] and putting weight on it. I’m sorry, but we want to go even faster and there’s not time or space for anybody, a players, staff member or anybody that is damaging the club. We made that decision.

On signing young players…

In our opinion, it had to be done like this. It had its risks but we were in a position to go and recruit players that had already proven everything and could turn the team around the way we wanted. We believed that if they had, first, the right personalities if they had the physical robustness to compete in this league and the intelligence and the talent to do it, it was about developing them. Me, personally, I love developing talent and inspiring those players. So far, it has worked pretty well. 

On the Amazon documentary…

I was in a board meeting, we were touching on a few points, Mark Gonnella was with us and I was just asked the question, “We are almost signed with Amazon, what do you think?” I said, “Is that a question or is it a communication?” No, we are doing it, so then it was about how we are going to do it. I think the club made the decision and looking at it now, it was the right decision but obviously it was difficult, it is stressful, it’s something that takes you out of your comfort zone, you feel constantly watched and it’s an experience. I think it’s made us all better. 

On missing out on the top four lasts season & the impact on revenue…

We fell short, we didn’t deserve to get anything out of that game [at Newcastle], we missed a big opportunity. I think after, when I look back at the season, where we were, compare ourselves with the other teams and what they had and what we did, it gave me a lot of encouragement to believe that if we did well in the transfer window, the following season was going to be even better. 

Arsenal tactics in 2022/23

[clips from 2-0 win at Palace]

On the first game of the season…

Very excited, obviously we’d had a good pre-season and you could sense that the team had the right cohesion, the right energy, the right understanding and the right relationships. Obviously, though the Premier League is a different story, going to Palace in the first game of the season is a challenge but I was hopeful the team was going to be ready for a great start. 

On Ben White at right-back…

I already had that idea last year but I didn’t think we had somebody in that position to replace what I wanted to do. The moment that Saliba came in and I looked at the amount of development he had in the last year at Marseille, I said, we need to adapt and straight away after that, I had in my head, we had to do Alex. In that way, I could fit him exactly where I wanted him in the team. 

[clips from 3-2 win over Liverpool]

On Saliba…

It’s not that we were lacking, it’s just the qualities that he’s brought. First of all, I don’t see the centre-back position as something individual, I think it’s a partnership and that partnership has to have some sort of chemistry between the two and the qualities of those two have to complement each other. From day one, those two [Saliba and Gabriel] clicked. Sometimes you cannot predict that when you’re in the market or when you have a player back from a loan. We were lucky to be fair that that clicked. What he’s brought; physicality, game understanding and a lot of composure. 

On what sets Saliba apart…

He’s capable of doing that because he’s happy defending open spaces, he’s happy to defend one-vs-one situations, in that action in particular, when you give the ball away in the centre of the park and have to regain it and have an opponent who can attack the goal and you cannot defend that channel. You have a decision to make and he’s extremely good at making those decisions in a split second. 

On Saliba allowing Arsenal to press higher…

Yes, he does and against good teams with good organisation and good understanding of which space and players to use or damage your high press, it’s extremely important. He’s an option to do what we’ve done in many situations, which is to go man-to-man. In this situation [against] Liverpool, we are overloaded in the last line because we are three against two, we have a free man in the middle of the park. The positive thing is that the ball is very far away that a lot of things have to happen for that team to generate an advantage with the overload that they have. I’m not too happy, especially in the first 10 minute of the game [against Liverpool], because the position and Henderson and what we were doing with Granit, but it’s something that we adjusted pretty early in the game but we could have been exposed, especially as they don’t need much teams like Liverpool to understand those kinds of situations. They are extremely good at that. 

[Clips from 3-0 win at Brentford]

On the centre-back position…

I think it has evolved a lot. I always said that in the Premier League the hardest position to play is at centre-back. You can do exceptionally well at everything we ask you but you just need an action where you give half a yard in the box to somebody, he outjumps you and he scores a goal and you are in all the highlights of the game. I don’t like the central defenders dribbling, if Willy has to dribble here [build-up to Vieira goal] it’s because somebody two seconds before has done something that is not right, it’s not a necessity to do that action but he’s still able to resolve that situation. I know that he’s able to do that, he’s got a big body, the ball is still far from the feet of the opponent so he doesn’t expose the ball too much. It’s a simple action, if his first touch is good then he can play the overload straight away with a simple pass. 

[clips from 3-1 win over Sp*rs]

On pressing high up and if Zinchenko was bought for that…

Alex gives you flexibility, he’s an ex-midfield player. When I was at City, his whole career he played as a midfielder, as a winger and we converted him. As a full-back he’s so comfortable playing inside, he’s done it with the national team but he’s extremely comfortable playing outside as well, he gives you that versatility and uncertainty to the opponent to change shapes and provoke different opponents attracted to him, to attack other spaces as well, obviously.

On taking shots from outside the box against opponents packing the penalty area…

Every manager will do that [pack the box], we try to analyse how they defend the box and the spaces they are going to be defending, what type of behaviours they have in relation to the players that they have inside. The pitch is so big, there is always spaces. You just have to attract the right players and use the right ones. But that window is very small in the Premier League. The window opens and in half a second the window is closed. You need to execute and put the ball through that window very quickly. We manage to do that now better and better and faster than we used to do in the past.

On fewer shots from outside the box…

I think it goes against the culture in this country because every time we are here at the Emirates the crowd is asking Thomas to shoot, shoot, shoot. Sometimes we need to put the extra pass. We know the percentages scored for certain amount of shots that you have, it’s extremely low. But that’s a phenomenal goal [by Partey against Sp*rs] which means he made the right decision. 

[clips from 4-2 win over Leicester]

On Xhaka playing higher up the pitch…

I think it was a necessity, I think for the squad to evolve to another level and be more dominant and have more resources in the final third to attack and score more goals, we needed to make that change. I spoke to him at the end of the second season and said, I need to unlock something in your brain. You are so comfortable and confident playing in this area that you have forgotten that actually, what is going to win us the game, is up here [in the final third]. The team now demands somebody here so unless you unlock that I’m going to have to do something about it. He took it straight away. He’s a very intelligent player and he came in pre-season fitter than ever, slimmer than ever. He knew that if we wanted to take the team to another level, we had to change his role. He knew that was coming and he has the qualities to play there. For him to play there, he needs a full-back to play there [more inverted] and for him to play there [higher] and that triangle works much better when it’s like this. 

On the reason…

It’s to score more goals, it’s to go more forward. At the same time, it’s to get the relationships we want to empower the qualities that we have in the team. If we want to score more goals, Martinelli has to play on the last line and he needs to play wide because it’s his quality. I believe him playing there and getting the ball to him in many situations is going to give us much more than having a full-back playing there the whole season, especially with the amount of games that we’re going to play. That’s the transformation that the team had to do. 

On Xhaka’s stats and having more goal involvements…

It’s down to the intelligence and quality of the player and we believe that he has those qualities and those qualities were there to be exploited and they were hidden. The team needed those qualities very much and as you said, he’s extremely intelligent, he has the physical capacity as well to constantly threaten and occupy those spaces and after recovering his position quickly enough to have the balance that we need. He’s been really consistent, the way he trains, the way he practises to evolve to the demands that we want for the team. 

On Xhaka always being picked by every Arsenal manager…

Yeah, right and with the national team as well. He’s a special person, he’s very straight, he’s very honest, he’s very loyal and he’s very passionate about what he does. When you have somebody like that, you want to help him, you want to protect him and you want him to fulfil the talent that he ha. He’s made some mistakes and he’s learned from it but he’s always faced adversity and difficulty and never run away from it. This is what all the managers want from our players. You know that you can count on him and that he will fight and he will break walls for you. This is what we expect from our players. 

On Odegaard being made captain…

It was a difficult decision, especially with the history of the captains the last few years at the club but we had to pick one and we had to surround that captain with other leaders with the skills that Granit has or Gabriel Jesus has or Rob has in the team. But we believed that he represented really well where we are now as a club, what we are trying to build and the type of values we want to instil at the club. Martin is not the most vocal leader but he leads by example and he’s very well-respected by everybody at the club. 

On being very consistent in his team selections this season…

It’s something that we are very aware of [the strain it could put on the team], obviously, the type of game we have to play in Europe has allowed us to make a lot of changes and have a fresher squad for the weekend. Then we have repeated the starting XI a lot. In the second half of the season, I don’t think that’s going to be the same type of numbers, when we’re playing every three days, the congestion and the amount of games we have to play is going to be incredible and we’re going to have to have more players and resources to be able to do that. 

On how far ahead the club plans for future players…

We have an ideal picture of where we want to be in 18 months, that’s for sure, how the squad is going to look like. What you plan for and what you actually can do is very different, sometimes for the right reasons because a player surprises you and then you think, we don’t need to do that because he can carry on or he’s doing things we didn’t expect or a player has developed in the right way. The plan is there and what we want to do is clear and we’ve been lucky because the ownership has been supportive with what we want to do. 

Quick-fire questions

Team supported as a boy…

Barcelona

Earliest football memory…

Playing on the pitch in San Sebastien, my city. We used to play against every school and it was something very, very special.

Pre-match meal…

Chicken and rice, very basic. 

As a manager…

Sometimes nothing! It depends what time we play but I don’t like eating too much before the games. 

Toughest opponent…

I would say Liverpool at Anfield.

Toughest individual…

Probably, I would have to say Thierry Henry. When I played against him, I was at Everton. He was one of those players where you felt, he was so superior to the rest that he could completely dominate the game. 

Favourite game as a player…

I would say my debut for PSG. It was the moment I realised that a dream has come true. You put on a professional shirt, I was next to Ronaldinho, Okocha, all those incredible players around me but then you soon realise, it’s just the start and being at that level is going to be tough. 

Favourite derby…

Now that I’m here, I have to say the north London derby but the one that surprised me more was the Old Firm derby when I was in Glasgow. That was, phwoar…first of all, I thought I was quite a good student, that my English was pretty good but when i arrived, it was a different language almost. I was so lucky, they welcomed me so well and in really special way. It’s a special people and I’m so grateful. It helped me so much after with my transition to play in the Premier League and I had some great moments there. 

On moving to Liverpool…

I had a Scottish manager in David Moyes so that transition again helped because David is someone that is really demanding, with a strong character and a special language. I learned a lot from him and he made me a better player, he really protected me, he challenged me and we had some great times together. 

On the Merseyside derby…

Our history before I was there wasn’t great. We used to lose a lot of games unfortunately. You guys [Liverpool] were one of the best teams in Europe at the time, you had a phenomenal team and we were at a different level but for many years we were able to compete, to beat you a few times as well which was special. It was just phenomenal, the atmosphere around the city and the passion that place has is just phenomenal. 

On managerial teamtalks…

Honestly, it’s just a gut feeling. I think you have to be very aware of the temperature in the team, what the team needs, what the team is demanding, how can you really influence, how can you give them comfort, how you can touch them emotionally, a team is just energy. In that year, Arsenal or those players needed a certain way of me doing things, this year it’s different and I’m doing other things that are better for the players. I think it has to be genuine  and it has to be spontaneous and it has to be especially what do the players need…that’s the biggest question. 

On managerial influences…

The idea on the pitch, for sure, it was Johann Cruyff and what he said in Barcelona and what I was taught when I was in Barcelona. Then, every manager that I had, I learned so much. Sometimes about dealing with the people, how caring they were, how protective they were, others, in difficult moments, how they have reacted individually and collectively with the team, with Arsene, for the opportunity that he gave me here, and the way he could understand the game and his philosophy of working and teaching and for sure, Pep, he’s been the biggest influence in my football career as a player and a manager and for the opportunity he gave me to work with him in a new role and in a new way of understanding the game. 

On how Pep has evolved Cruyff’s philosophy…

He evolved it and tweaked it and he gave that style and that way of understanding the game many more tools. That’s the secret of it, it’s great to get some things from other managers, even to copy, but you cannot copy and paste, it doesn’t work unfortunately. This is just the start. The principles and fundamentals that I believe in are based on my experiences as a player and the experience I had as a coach, especially with Pep but now you have to evolve from there. In my opinion, other sports right now are really changing my way of understanding the game. 

On whether Pep changed football with his Barcelona team…

I totally agree with that, he probably had the same purpose but he did it in a totally different way, it was more attractive, more enjoyable, more joyful and more fun and especially for players and everybody that watched. If you ask Pep, he would say that he’s the most defensive manager in the world. He would say that! Because he is, but in a certain way, in the way that he wants to control the game and to have the ball. He doesn’t like conceding any chances or any goals because obviously the chances of winning the game will be there but it’s very different to many other managers who are very successful people who have managed to win in this game. 

On looking at other sports…

I love that, I’m involved in groups where we discuss with other top, elite managers that are in the NFL, NBA, Australian cricket, big companies around the world and to understand the processes, why they made decisions, how they made decisions, how they plan, how they face success or failure and how they measure success and failure. They are voices that for me are really, really important. I think we need to be constantly educating ourselves and looking for quick wins and things that we can gather from other industries. We have a lot of opportunities these days with everything we have in our hands and we cannot waste that. 

On measuring success and failure at Arsenal this season…

I’m proud of what we’re doing, we’re in a good place, but we have to take it day-by-day. For me, that’s the secret. A team is what we do every single day, to maintain certain levels and to improve in our weaknesses and to have the right energy. I think a team is just a big ball of energy that has to drive for a long, long period during 10 months and it takes a lot of skill to manage that. 

On there being excitement within the club about the second half of the season…

It is, but it’s not just a feeling, it’s as well facts. There are stats that are supporting that the team is deserving to win games which is especially my job. I want the team to play in a certain way and my job is to [understand] did we merit to win the game, yes or no. The more consistent we are on that, the more games we are going to win. Unfortunately, in football, you can shoot 30 times and concede one shot and lose 1-0 but in the long run you are going to be where you deserve to be. We have the confidence that we are in the right path but as well we have the red lights and alarms there because what is coming in the second part of the season is something unprecedented and we need to be ready for it. 

On there being an opportunity…

It’s something to have a plan but the focus is today. The only focus we have is today, what do we have to do today to impact how it will be tomorrow? There is excitement and we should be embracing the opportunity that we have ahead of us while understanding that we have to do much better a lot of things that we are doing really well. That’s it.