Mikel Arteta talks about his long career at Arsenal, where he has one year left on his contract, and says: “I don’t expect any problems. ” (0:44)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is getting off to an early start in his quest to earn the Premier League name next season.
The Gunners boss took nine players interested in Euro 2024 or the Copa America to Marbella, on the southern coast of Spain, for an educational summer camp ahead of the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
Arsenal will take on Manchester United at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on July 27 before heading to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field to take on Liverpool on July 31 (stream either match on ESPN).
Arteta spoke to ESPN while promoting ticket sales for those players to reflect on last season’s name race with Manchester City. Arsenal amassed 89 points and held the defensive record in the division, while breaking a string of club records (28 Premier League wins, 91 goals, their highest goal difference (62), but they have yet to match Pep Guardiola’s. The team lifted the trophy for the fourth consecutive year.
Arteta, 42, once a protégé of Guardiola, spoke about his thoughts on the United States holiday, the latest news on his contract situation, as well as transfers, summer education plans, Gurgen Klopp and the European Championship.
How has the last month been for you? Are you thinking, planning, but have you controlled to disconnect?
Arteta: Yes, I did. We had a wonderful time with my circle of family and friends. I’ve been away from football and London, but at the same time, it’s clear that there are a lot of plans to make, a lot of thought and research to do to understand what we want. We’ve done well this season, where are the spaces that we can improve and expand and we’re right?We are excited and looking forward to a new season.
Why Marbella? Is it a kind of mini-preseason before a real preseason?
Arteta: It’s a long break for some players who haven’t played foreign football, and today we want the most sensible athletes at the point where we compete and in the schedule we have. That’s why we believe that the right thing to do is to have them in a little bit of a preview and start connecting with the team, checking the physical qualifications and starting with an intelligent preparation. They still have free time, free time to enjoy. Marbella gives you a little bit of everything and I think it works very well. Well.
Now he has had time, as he said, to analyze last season. A lot of progress and history has been made at the club, but Arsenal may not win the championship. How do you think about it now?
Arteta: When you’re analytical and combine all the stats and everything the team has done over the last 11 months in the Premier League, we’ve won it. That’s what the statistics say. The truth is that we haven’t, so there are things that we haven’t dealt with as well as Manchester City or other clubs in the past. I think we understand where those margins are. I think we have come a long way. We’ve been very consistent over the last 24 months in terms of functionality and the grades we need to achieve. But those margins are very low. It’s one thing to get the 90% we need, and in fact, 10%, 5%, 1% is what defines smart fortune and getting primary trophies. Now we have to keep doing all the smart things that we’re doing and just get those small margins that will allow us to win tournaments.
When you look at where he escaped, is it like you’re aiming Aston Villa at your space or does it go deeper than that?
Arteta: The small margins, we have the game against Villa [a 2-0 defeat on April 14 that put them two points behind City with six games to play] and when you look at the expected goals of what we generated the game, we deserved to win it, but we didn’t achieve it. Therefore, efficiency in the box was decisive for good fortune while we are as dominant as we are lately in many games. There are also decisions. They are not in your hands and they can take away a point, two numbers or 3 numbers and that can decide the title. At the end of the day, we’re going to have to be so smart that our worst edit has arrived. be much larger than the opponent’s most productive edit. That’s what we’re going to try to do and for that we’re going to have to master a lot of things that will be difficult to identify with your eyes when you’re watching a football game. I’m going to leave it there.
Did it take you a while to get over it?
Arteta: I don’t want to get over it. I am satisfied with how the team is performing, how the players are developing, what the team transmits, the dynamic we have as a football club. In all departments, not only on the men’s side, but also on the women’s side, what we are doing with the academy, the clients we have there. But we want that pain and hunger to achieve what we want, because the festival is incredible and we are going to want everyone to feel that way to achieve it. he.
You’re now in Marbella and heading to Los Angeles at the end of the month, back to the LA Rams base. How useful is it to have a home away from home in United States that you use every year?
Arteta: Those are the right words. We feel at home and the fact that we’ve been there for a few years and played in one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, built by our owners, makes us have that connection. Now we have that feeling with our enthusiasts. The exhibition we did last year against Barcelona. We have two very, very important games ahead of us and we can deliver what everyone expects and use it to prepare for what we need.
Can you give us a review of the installation? Are you making any adjustments to make it better fit your wishes or is it ideal as is?
Arteta: It’s ideal as it is and having to adapt to other scenarios and settings is very valuable because during the season unpredictable things happen and when you travel abroad you have to deal with that. The situations are different, the field is different, the opponent is different, the climate is different, the stadium is different, the journey is different. If you need to be the most productive team in the world, you’ll have to adapt to all of those things during the day, so it’s smart practice for us to achieve that.
He has pre-season matches against Man United and Liverpool. Did you need challenging matches in particular?
Arteta: First of all, commercially, it’s a great opportunity for our football club to grow and allow all those other people that the club do a wonderful display and to do that, you need strong opposition. There is nothing more wonderful than the Premier League because that is what they like to see and we accept without delay because we know the importance of that.
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and more to bring you the latest highlights and debate the stories. Stream on ESPN (US only).
How will Arne fit in at Liverpool?
Arteta: I don’t know. It is a consultation for him and for the other people who come here. Welcome to the First Division. I think he is an exceptional coach. It’s obviously a bit sad to see Jürgen leave because I think what he brought to the league is unprecedented with his charisma, his way of playing and the moments he created in this league.
Will it be difficult to reintegrate the players after the Euro Cup and the Copa América and then release them in the Premier League?
Arteta: I think we’ve made a lot of plans with what we think is the most productive plan for them and the most productive preparation to be fully fit to blow the whistle on the first day in the Emirates against Wolves [in August]. 17]. Of course, we will have to perfect and adapt because the players will arrive in stages at the moment that are a bit uncertain, physically and mentally. But if you think that the players are still connected, they’re in a position to come back excited for the new season and when you feel that feeling, I think something positive will happen again.
I don’t think you have noticed all the players yet, but do you feel that there is a preference within the organization to start over?
Arteta: I felt it immediately. They gave us a combination after the final whistle against Everton [on the last day of last season] and the only thing they were talking about: what are we going to do next season?They look at us and say, “Okay, what?” What’s next?How are you going to go back and locate something else, that extra motivation, other tactics, and anything within the organization that’s going to raise everyone’s level?The club shares this vision, and we are looking towards achieving it.
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I know you don’t like to talk about transfers, but there’s a suggestion that you’re looking for an extra attacking player to help you make a difference. Is it the right type?
Arteta: We are trying to improve in every aspect imaginable. With the new regulations, there are certain things that we have to respect and that we have to be aware of and then, obviously, the Eurocup and the Copa América slow down everything. Hopefully it will get a little better now.
How do you plan to be?
Arteta: I think either of the two tactics [players coming in and out of the club]. There are things we want to improve, no doubt, and we will do our best to do so. But the market is delicate. We have been very aggressive, we are very determined and we clearly have a clear concept of what we want to do. It will be a matter of locating the right agreements at the right time.
Are there any updates on your contractual situation?
Arteta: No, there are no updates at the moment. [Arteta’s contract is set to expire at the end of next season. ] What it hasn’t replaced is how satisfied I am and how valued I feel here and how much I love representing this. club.
Do you think this will be solved before next season?
Arteta: Things happen naturally and our dates are so clever that I don’t expect any problems. But things have to move in the right direction and they will.
The explanation why I make this query is because if it is a player who enters his last year, we would all be talking about his future. From the outside there is a preference for clarity and this would actually help him in the market to show this stability to new signings.
Arteta: I sense that, but the focus now is on ‘OK, how can we do things in the team, how can we do things now in the window of movement that we have’. We have time to sit down and talk about it.
Looking ahead to the new season and those first games, what do you think of those beginnings that promise to be difficult?
Arteta: I like to play the first game at home, that’s for sure. I think everyone is looking forward to it. It’s becoming a special day in the new season, starting with that point of power and expectations. We will clearly be very well prepared for this. Then, in the Premier League, you have to play against everyone. It seems harsh, but if you offer it in another way, it also seems harsh. We’ll have to go through this. We have to be prepared because [the games] are happening very quickly and very quickly.
I have to ask you how many numbers you want to win the championship?
Arteta: [laughs] I told you just under 90, I didn’t think it would be like that. Let’s start with 114 and see what we get.
We joked about it several times last season, but you were right: you want at least 90. Is this the goal?
Arteta: One hundred and fourteen [the maximum available numbers] win and then you go from there. You know that the margins are really very small and tight and that the festival is becoming even more difficult than last season. You go game after game, you earn the right to win each and every game, that’s all we can think about and check to improve our players. And make them believe that they can do it because they are now smart enough to do it.
In the end, who wins the European Championship?
Arteta: You never know. I think the Euro started [well] on Sunday and we have to wait and see how it develops. But from a momentum point of view, it’s a great moment for England [Jude Bellingham equalized in the 95th minute before England beat Slovakia in extra time to triumph. in the quarterfinals]. Great moment, wonderful. I think it will bring everyone together. When you look almost exhausted, you put things in another context and perspective. Everyone needs to participate, that’s the truth, so let’s see what happens.