Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta compares Saka and Odegaard to Xavi and Iniesta
03/12/2024
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
03/12/2024
Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
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00:00When you first joined five years ago, in that first game at Bournemouth,
00:04prior to playing left-back,
00:06did you think then, oh, this guy's going to be a killer right winger?
00:10That day, no, but I think day by day,
00:14the moment that I start to understand and see the skill set
00:18and the relationship that he could generate in the team,
00:22I was convinced that long-term, medium-term,
00:25that was in his position and the team needed another kind of threat,
00:29creativity, and that he could provide those moments.
00:32And slowly we were moving, first to the left, then to the right,
00:36and then we started to see naturally that it was the position
00:39that he was feeling more comfortable in, and we were consistent there.
00:43Obviously, as a teenager then, still finding his way,
00:45and now he's an established, senior player,
00:48how has he changed as a person behind the scenes in those five years?
00:53Well, you can tell, you know, the way he presents himself,
00:58the way he talks, the decisions that he makes,
01:01that he's got a massive role in the team,
01:04he's the main figure with two or three players at the club,
01:08and he plays for the national team,
01:11he's a very established player right now
01:12and he's decided how much is for us,
01:14so he has earned the right to act and be that way,
01:18but at the same time he's still so humble, close and charming to everybody.
01:22Jordan?
01:24How do you feel about again being in an era where Man Utd and Arsenal
01:27are back at the top of the table competing?
01:29Well, they were competing and they were the main two teams,
01:31so obviously when you are fighting to get that cup at the end,
01:36yeah, the tension raises, I think certain individuals as well
01:42made it very, very special, you know, and you cannot force that, you know,
01:46and we are trying together, I'm sure we're going to be trying together,
01:51and let's see what happens in the future.
01:53Is it hard for those rivalries to be born
01:55because there are so many other clubs competing?
01:57Because right now it's Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and maybe Chelsea.
02:00Yeah, well, that league and this league there's no comparison,
02:04obviously in the amount of teams that they have the capacity to win it
02:08and challenge it, it wasn't that open for sure.
02:11And because it was very reckless first,
02:13and there was a lot of sometimes hatred
02:15and there was a lot of bust-ups on and off the pitch,
02:18maybe that's changed now because there are younger managers involved in the game,
02:21do you think for the game itself and for the spectacle
02:23it would be nice to see a bit more of that?
02:25Or would you like to have it out of the game?
02:28I don't know, I saw a lot of respect as well there,
02:31and I was lucky to have Arsene here
02:35and the way he was talking always about Sid Alex and his teams
02:38and the way he conducted himself, he was top.
02:41And that was a lesson as well, because you really want to win,
02:44but as well you have to accept that the opponent can be better,
02:47and if you can be better than the opponent, then you have to continuously move on.
02:51Ed, Guardian.
02:53Just on the attacker, you mentioned that his chemistry with the team has improved,
02:58in particular with Milo, obviously since he's come back,
03:01those two have an amazing chemistry together.
03:03Have you ever seen players that have got such a good understanding with each other,
03:07where people work with a pair that have got such a great partnership?
03:12Yeah, they are, but they can be obviously in this case,
03:14because they are an attacking midfielder and a winger.
03:17I've seen centre-backs, I've seen midfielders between them,
03:20I just think about Barcelona, with Xabi Busquets and Iniesta,
03:24it was something else, they didn't even need to look at themselves,
03:28but our two centre-backs as well, naturally there is a chemistry there that is unbelievable.
03:33So try to develop those more and more, because there is something there
03:36that is very difficult to put a number to it, but it flows in a natural way,
03:41and the more relationships like this you have in the team, the better.
03:44And just on Martin, you mentioned that the players have a lot of trust in him,
03:48how important is he to the rest of the squad now,
03:52chasing down Liverpool, a bit of a deficit, to have that belief that you can do that?
03:57Yeah, obviously, he brings an energy and a stamina,
04:01a quality that is very difficult to see,
04:04and when I talk about that trust, it's because he ends it every single day,
04:07the way he conducts himself, the way he talks to people,
04:11and the way he's constantly pushing each other to get the standards as high as possible,
04:16and that's something that obviously he hasn't done overnight,
04:19so credit to him because he has earned it.
04:22Do you think is there anybody else in the team that gives you that?
04:24Or when he's not there, is there anybody else that can stand in for him?
04:27Is that another reason why he's so important?
04:30There are many others in different ways as well,
04:32Martin has his own way of doing Buckeyes,
04:35Jorginho has his own way, Thomas has his own way,
04:37Gavis, Alivar, David, you know, there is a lot.
04:41David?
04:42Hi, Miguel.
04:43Hi.
04:44In those few victories, have you noticed anything different for the team
04:47compared to what things were doing as a team?
04:50Well, first of all, the efficiency in the last 20 metres, for sure,
04:55and then the fact that winning and scoring a goal,
04:59being up front and scoring two or three,
05:01obviously changes the dynamic of the game,
05:03instead of going behind or feeling a little bit more restricted
05:06in certain ways after not winning a football match or two.
05:09Do you think you need to reach another level to maybe,
05:13because of Liverpool?
05:14Sorry?
05:16Do you think you as a team need to reach another level
05:18maybe because of Liverpool?
05:20Yeah, well, the level is to win, win, win, win, win and win, that's it.
05:23So we haven't done that this season yet,
05:26we have won a lot of games, not at the level of Liverpool,
05:29so there is another level for sure.
05:31OK, last couple now, we'll go to James first and then Alan.
05:34Against West Ham, we saw, before Gabby's goal,
05:38we saw him basically call a huddle
05:41and he was almost like an NFL quarterback calling the shot
05:45and saying, this is what's going to happen, this is what we're going to do.
05:47Is he just relaying information from Nicolas
05:51or have you given him the permission or ability
05:56to be the person who calls those setbacks?
05:59I'm wondering how that worked.
06:01In relation to the phase of play that we have,
06:03obviously there are certain players that are accountable to pass information,
06:07to read clues and to understand what we have to do and then communicate.
06:11Is it him coming for that one?
06:13Is it him in that situation thinking, I think we should do this move here?
06:17Not only him, there are a few, yeah.
06:19Just lastly, Ruben is coming into a club with great expectation,
06:25having hit the ground running, something that you had to do coming here,
06:31how difficult is that to do and what as a manager do you have to do
06:37to rebuild that club or build that club in your image?
06:43I don't know, I think what he mentioned,
06:45have a very strong belief that he's the right man first of all to do it
06:49and then be very consistent in your thoughts and put into practice
06:54and make sure that everybody follows you.
06:57OK, finally, Alex.
06:59The key to Saka and Oligar's relationship,
07:02when Martin was missing, Saka was having a lot more attention from defenders
07:07on him joining those games, but obviously Martin being there,
07:09does that free up Saka and is that why in the past three games
07:13we've seen him getting a little bit to the end?
07:15Well, everything has an effect and obviously the opponent as well.
07:19I'm sure they plan how to stop certain qualities or certain threats that we have
07:25and our job is to try to find all the mechanisms to continue to be a threat
07:29in those spaces or in other spaces.
07:31OK, thanks, everyone.