Straight from touching down in Lisbon on Monday night, Mikel Arteta headed to the Estadio Jose Alvalade for the pre-match press conference ahead of our Champions League group stage tie with Sporting CP.
Sporting are unbeaten in the competition this season, sitting second in the expanded group with ten points, having beaten Manchester City 4-1 last time out. Our manager was asked about the challenge facing his team on Tuesday night, our recent away form, dealing with Sporting’s leading scorer Viktor Gyokeres, the previous meeting between the sides and more.
Here’s a full transcript of the press conference.
On who is available tomorrow…
Everyone who is in the squad is fully fit to start the game. We have Kieran Tierney with us after a long injury. It’s great news that he is back, he’s been training with us and he is available to participate.
On how important it would be to make a statement with an away win…
It’s certainly something we have to improve. We have the right steps, and looking back at the way we played against Inter, against a team that has been so dominant in the league, were in the Champions League final and should have won it. We played and dominated the game we should have won. But the reality is you have to make it happen, and we didn’t. Those steps are what we have to take next, be ruthless and be much more efficient in the opposition box, and when we get there do what we have to do to take the three points away from here.
On how good Gyokeres is and how to stop him…
I would like to talk about the team, the coaches and how phenomenal they have been. The run they are on is incredible, that tells you it’s not only about their qualities, but their ambition, the team energy they have, that’s a great challenge we have. To come here tomorrow, make a statement and show that we are capable against this kind of opponent to be ourselves and win the game.
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On whether Gyokeres is a modern-style striker…
I understand the question, but they have a lot of individual qualities and that’s why they are able as well to win games in various ways. Yes, in certain positions they have tremendous players.
On whether he is concerned with the position in the group…
We wanted to be higher, that’s for sure, but it’s the position we are in right now. We have to face and control what we can. That is to play in a way that’s going to give us a chance to win the game, and fight to do it as quick as possible. Tomorrow we have a great opportunity to do that.
On explaining the away form…
Not all of the games have been the same. It’s true that some of those games were when we’d already qualified. But it’s true we have to improve the results and we have to find the ways to understand what has been missing. Sometimes it’s been performance to be fair, and sometimes it’s been different aspects, and that’s the next step we have to make as a team.
On whether not scoring in four consecutive away Champions League games is down to inexperience…
I wouldn’t say that’s the most important thing, but the efficiency we have shown inside the box, at this level, with the number of chances you are normally able to generate in the Champions League, has not been at the level that is required to win consistently. I always say the Champions League is about the boxes, small margins and details, and you have to get all those right to win, especially away from home.
On whether he has noticed a difference in David Raya’s demeanour this season…
Yes, it’s something natural as well. It takes time to adapt to a new club, to a huge club like ours. Even last season I thought he had a really good season. Obviously now he is more comfortable, he understands the system, he uses the space in the right way. You can tell he is more composed, he has got better links with his teammates, and has been in great form.
On what task his centre halves have tomorrow…
For the whole team, because when you look at the numbers they produce, both in the domestic league and in the Champions League, at home where they have won every game, and always score at least one goal, it’s something we are going to have to avoid. So we are going to have to be really consistent, and efficient to try to prevent that happening.
On who Mikel turns to when he is under pressure…
At home, that’s why I have a beautiful family, a lovely wife and kids, all the loved ones, and then everybody, all the staff you know. That’s why my coaches are so important, all the staff that is around it; upstairs, the same support, same energy is vital, because I just said, they are always bumps, there are always feelings, there are always issues at football clubs, there are always things that are very urgent and have to be resolved right now. I’m very lucky to have that environment.
On how important it is to go on a run before the next international break…
When you look at, I think it’s 32 games until the next international break, so that tells you the story, [games] every three days. We’re going to need everybody at its best and be very well prepared. I think the team is back to having almost the full squad available, I noticed a huge difference already in training and the energy of the team, I sensed that already on Saturday against Forest, and it’s about the consistency that you are talking about, to get some momentum, some results and big performances and go again in a big way.
On what is different now to when we last played here…
That’s a good question! It’s normally a good exercise to see the team a few years back and I watched both games back to have an understanding, how we prepared them, what worked well and what didn’t, and it’s difficult to recognise the team two years later, because you tend to see and look at the game and other stuff in a different way, but it was good. It seemed longer ago to be fair, in a way, but here we are again. The good news is we are now in a different competition, a competition that we really want to win, be dominant, be important and this is where we are.
On whether both teams are stronger since the last meeting…
I think so because every team evolves and talking about Sporting and what they’ve done, it’s been unbelievable. And we have, as well, progressed very much compared to where we were two years ago so it’s going to be a good test.
On whether Sporting will cause a surprise under the new manager…
I am going to expect the same [Sporting] because every coach and the coaching staff behind him would have their own ideas, we obviously analysed what was done and the things that can tweak, and what’s been done in the to be prepared and try to understand as much as possible what we can try to do and especially how we can hurt them. I’m looking forward to that.
On Sporting’s big win over Manchester City…
It was one of those, they had played other games both in the Champions League and domestically to try to understand the way they behave about all kinds of opposition, because preparing for Manchester City is a very specific game and then they would have experienced it. You need a much broader picture to understand certain behaviours and understand why they do certain things; obviously we have analysed that but it was a remarkable game.
