Mikel Arteta Chelsea-Arsenal press conference in full, featuring Gyokeres & Trossard injury updates | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gave his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s big game away to Chelsea.

The Gunners could make a real statement if they win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with that result potentially putting the team nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta’s full pre-Chelsea vs Arsenal press conference

On Leandro Trossard’s fitness…

There’s another test today, we have to see how he’s feeling. It doesn’t look much, so we still have a few hours and we’ll have to see. There’s a potential chance (he’s available this weekend).

On a behind closed doors friendly…

It did happen. Gabi [Jesus] participated, and Ethan [Nwaneri] as well, because he wanted some minutes. We took the opportunity; they wanted a bit of exposure to competition, and providing that was very positive.

On Viktor Gyokeres’ and Kai Havertz’s availability…

We have another day tomorrow, so let’s see how everybody is tomorrow.

On Arsenal’s consistency…

Not that they surprised me, but you have to be able to perform in the manner that they did individually throughout long periods of the game against the opponent, and that’s very, very difficult to do. As I said, that’s the way I felt about the players, how I feel about the players and now it’s about finding the same consistency on Sunday to go and win again.

On Joshua Kimmich’s comments after the Bayern game…

I think the way both teams play, the way they played against PSG was very similar, when everything becomes man-to-man and the way they are with their full-backs, the way we do what we did in terms of rotation, they create a game that has very long sequences of passes. So I know what he’s saying, so that’s fine, it’s part of the game. I think the game is provoked in the manner that both teams play, so it’s very understandable.

On Arsenal’s recent record vs Chelsea…

It’s a big game, it’s a big London derby, we’re going to play a really good opponent, and they are in really good form. We know the challenge, we know the opportunity that we have as well on Sunday, so we are fully prepared for it.

On Chelsea’s title credentials…

I think we are all there and they are there because they fully deserve to be. What they have done in the last few years, I think the squad that have assembled, the numbers that they have, the amount of quality, the manager and the coaching staff that they have, it makes sense that what is happening there is very, very positive and they deserve to be there.

On making a statement win at Chelsea…

Those are statements that we are talking about every three days. After beating Spurs at home, then we have to make a statement against Bayern Munich, we’ve done that and now we have to go to the next one. That’s where we are, we knew the importance of the week, not only that, but what is coming after three days is going to be exactly the same, nothing is going to change. But we are super motivated for the game.

On keeping a lid on expectations…

We don’t talk about a lid or no lid; we need to understand basically what we have to do to be better than the opponent, to have the chance to win. If we are able to accomplish that, we will be able to do the same in the next game, nothing is going to change.

On Hincapie and Mosquera’s form…

They both have a really good possibility [to play on Sunday], Piero has played as a left-back as well, which is another option that we have in relation to the opponent, the game, and the state that the players are in. Myles [Lewis-Skelly] as well is obviously a very good option that we have there. Keep using everybody and making them feel that they are connected with the team.

On Chelsea playing down their title credentials…

I don’t know, that’s a question for them, I think.

On if this is the biggest game of the season so far…

For us it is, because it’s the next game. We just live in the present and make the best possible preparation to try to be better than them and win the game.

On Estevao’s form for Chelsea…

I don’t want to talk individually. When you look at the players that they have, the squad that they have, the squad that they have, the quality that they have in those forward positions, it’s immense. They’ve done that really well. They have recruited over the years top talent and it’s not a coincidence where they are.

On the young players relishing the pressure…

I think that relies on the individual and his personality, his character, and his ability to cope with that context and the pressure that comes with it. I think it’s a really positive thing.

On Declan Rice winning the Ballon d’Or…

I hope so! That would mean that we have won a lot, because normally it is related to that. I think he was immense the other day, I think he’s been immense since the start of the season, and he’s an incredible and crucial player for us.

On Gabriel’s fitness…

Not yet. I think he’s evolving really, really well. We have to wait for that scan a little bit longer to be more precise in terms of the timings. But I’m quite confident, especially the way Gabi takes every injury and the way he’s going to push everybody, that it’s not going to be that long.

On Gabriel Jesus’ potential return…

We have to see. He’s been out 11 months, and you need that progression; you need to see how his body reacts, and what else he needs. The players that we have available as well, it has to make sense to have the right balance in the squad. So it’s a good thing he’s very, very close at the moment.

On Mikel Merino filling in as a striker…

We learned that last season, because that’s when we have to play long periods without a nine. He brings other things to the table: his intelligence, the way he competes, the way he masters a lot of the things that are crucial for us. In any player, he’s got them. Then he’s a real threat. The other night he could have scored two goals, he was involved in many positive actions, and his work rate was unbelievable.

On if a player’s record vs a club is a factor in picking his team…

Not necessarily. I think we look more at the state of that player in the moment. What happened six months ago is not that relevant. There are experiences, there are connections within the team that, in my opinion, are more important than that. I’m very happy with what Gabi [Martinelli] did the other night, he was superb.

On Gyokeres and Havertz…

They are getting closer and closer. We are very positive with both of them, so let’s see … The good thing is that now we have found another option. We have three different options. That’s a really good learning for all of us, especially for me, to understand that with other players, with other connections, with other ways of doing things, we can still be very, very efficient.

Mikel Arteta (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

On if it leaves him a point to prove when he returns…

I think it’s very positive. We lost a player, two or three, we lost, at some point, six players in the front line, and the team continued to win and be very, very efficient. So I think that’s very positive and now what we have to prove is, ok, once we have everybody back, we are going to still be as good, or hopefully better.

On if Chelsea are the best attacking team in the league…

The sample now, it’s a bit early in the season, so it’s difficult to say, but it’s one of the teams that I enjoy the most watching, and they have a lot of fluidity, they have a lot of strength, they have a lot of individual talent, they are very clear what they want to do, and that’s why they’re pretty tough.

On what Jesus needs to do to be ready…

It’s what we see every single day, how he’s reacting to the change he had in load, and then he needs to get into the chemistry of the team, understanding the things on match time which are very different to anything that he tried to replicate in training, and those gaps try to make them as short as possible.

On Jesus building connections…

Yes, well, it’s always been one of Gabi’s qualities, the capacity to relate and connect and make other players around him better, and he still has that, and now he needs to find a way to do it with, as you mentioned, some very new players.

On the mental boost a big win provides…

It brings certainty, security, and really positive energy every time you beat top opponents. When we did it in the derby, it helped to generate that momentum and that belief for the next game. We did it against Bayern and now we have to carry that against Chelsea, but it’s just in the moment for the next day, and we have to use it in the right way.