Every word from Arteta's pre-Palace presser

Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the press ahead of our clash against Crystal Palace in the Premier League this Sunday.

We go into the fixture having won our last six in all competitions, and our manager spoke about our form, this weekend's opponents and much more.

Read the full transcript below or press play on the video above now.

on the latest team news following our win over Atletico Madrid:

Not much, Big Gabi had to leave the pitch with an issue and he hasn't been able to train yet, so let's see how he evolves in the next 24 hours to see whether he's available or not for the weekend.

on longer-term injuries to Madueke, Odegaard, Havertz and Jesus:

They are progressing really well. They are starting to do certain activities. They are all super willing to be available as quickly as possible, but at the moment, none of them are in contention in the next week or so.

on conceding just three goals in our first 12 games and if there’s a motivation to break Chelsea’s record:

We want these kinds of records; we have been getting a lot of them. At the end, we want it to bring the silverware and the trophies. But obviously, the more we can produce, I think the closer we are going to be to achieving what we want to do, and that defensive record is very good, but we need to be consistent; it's only just the start of the season. The aim is to continue improving things, which we can still do a lot of, to do even better.

on Eze coming up against his former club this weekend:

It's a big game for us, because last season we dropped some points and it's the fourth game in a row that we're going to play against opponents that we drop points against, and this season we've been able to beat them, so our focus is on that. We know that for Ebs it's going to be a very special match, with the history and what he did for Palace. But the focus is on the team.

on if our previous games against Palace forms part of our messaging for this one:

If we want a very different outcome, we'd better do very different things than we did last year, especially in these fixtures. So we know what Palace are doing, what Oliver [Glasner] is doing for the football club, and the way they are getting results. So it's going to be a really tough match, but we're going to play again in front of our crowd and we are confident if we hit our level, we have a big chance to win it.

on the challenge of leaving players out of the team given the strength of the squad:

There are two sides to it. One, the emotional part and my attachment with the individual, with the person, and I would love to play all of them. But the second one, obviously, without a question of a doubt, I'd rather have this situation than the situation we had in the last few years when, at some point, we were very short in numbers. So we have created a very strong environment, a really competitive and supportive environment, that hopefully can challenge to be very competitive in every game. That's the aim and that we want to achieve and we just all go towards that direction.

on Mateta’s form and how to stop him:

First of all, it's what they do as a team, their level of organisation. They have very clear intentions of how they want to attack and which moment they use to attack and to hurt opponents. So stopping the source is probably the best way. When you get into certain situations with him, one-v-one, you know that he’s very prolific and he's been very, very successful, especially recently. So trying to avoid that.

on what the conversation with Gyokeres was like after his two goals on Tuesday:

It didn't need a conversation. He just needed a hug and just look at him and enjoy how happy he was after the game and I think we were all very happy because he fully deserves that.

on if he’s concerned that we only have five goals from open play so far:

No, not at all, because I don’t see football like open play and set pieces. I see the game in a different way.

on how we’ve perfected our set-pieces:

With work. First of all, creating the culture, giving that part of the game the importance that it has. Understanding that, again, football is evolving and the opponents are behaving against us, we have to maximise certain things that happen very frequently. So something that happens very frequently has a lot of value to us, so trying to maximise that and be effective.

on the point when he thought it would be smart to hone in on set-pieces:

Ten years ago, I think it has to be, I wasn’t here but ten years ago I said it’s a massive thing to do that, and I started to have a vision and try to implement a method and try to be surrounded by the best people to deliver that.

on if we’re trying to replicate Wenger’s success with a tight back four:

I go back through the history of football in general and the teams that have the best defensive record, most of the time, except for the last three seasons in the Premier League, which we did, normally, you win the league. So just go against those stats. But the stronger we are in that foundation, the bigger the probability of winning games is.

on if it’s tempting not to change too much when things are going well:

They are far from perfect and there are a lot of things we must do better. Obviously, there are a lot of things that we’re doing very, very well and we need to maintain that. So it’s just about understanding that the margins to win football games at this level are very small. In certain moments, we have lost, in certain moments, we have fully deserved to win them. But that’s not going to be the same trajectory all the way in the season and we need to be prepared for that. So the more alert we are, the more urgency we have, the more desire we have for the next game, we’re going to be in a better place to win the game.

on the importance of the Emirates Stadium atmosphere in the title race:

Key, capital, one of the most important things and I love that because we don’t expect supporters to turn up to the stadium. We want them just to play the game with us, which is very different. In order to do that, you have to be in your seat with a certain behaviour, with a certain body language and it’s a good test, Sunday at 2pm, how we’re going to turn up after a big Champions League game. If we’re going to go to another step and do something that we didn’t do last year, everybody has to turn up to the stadium with that mindset, so that’s what I want to see.

on what it’s like to play against a former club:

There is something in your tummy. There is history, there are a lot of emotions, there are very close relationships. You might think once you step in there and you go with that mindset, someday, you have even more will to win because you made that decision to be successful and to achieve something else in your career, and I’m sure Ebs is going to be ready for that.

on if he saw where the game was going regarding set-pieces 10 years ago:

I went to City with the best manager in the world and I could see where we could have improvements and it was clear because at some point I was doing that and I wasn’t the best person in the world to do it, so if I’m not the best person in the world to do it and the best method to do it, there are ways to improve it. And you could see straight afterwards when it started to happen, but it’s not only obsessed with that, I’m the same with the defensive part in every transition, I want to be the best. When it comes to chaos, I want to be the best. When it comes to positional attack, the best, when it comes to low blocks, the best and that’s the eagerness to constantly find ways to develop your team, to evolve your team and to give your players more tools to be unpredictable and especially more efficient.

on Rice’s set-piece taking ability:

Again, I heard some quotes that he made that this season his position has changed a little bit, and I disagree with that because his position has evolved and he is becoming a total player. A total player has to be able to do as many things as possible and he has the capacity to do that. So that's to evolve a player, to start to bring something else to the team, and especially when you talk about scoring goals, expecting the opposition goal, even better, and he's been instrumental in our improvement in that part of the game.

on what Zubimendi has added to the midfield:

Well, every player is different. We have some terrific midfielders here. He brings certain hierarchy, certain composure that it's very difficult to understand, and then the way he perceives information and learns from the game and what is actually happening in the game at that speed is remarkable, and I think, again, about him it was about unlocking certain spaces and his capacity to look further and to hold the position when his teammates are further from the ball than himself. And then, yeah, if he can add goals to it, even better.

on if there’s more to come from him:

A lot more, and the more he understands his teammates, the timing of that and those relationship builds, I think we'll see another level of skill in him.

on the work we do in open play to create openings:

And the other way around. Football is like this. Football doesn't stop. It's all connected. You want to see the game like this? OK. I don't.

on if teams are moving more towards his way of thinking:

I don't know, but it doesn't mean that it's more important. It's equally important. But what happens is what happens frequently in your games, and that's the thing that you have to really dominate, and that's the opportunity to hurt your opposition. So, we have to train and make sure that the things that are good for us happen very, very often because it will be more difficult for the opponent. But, I mean, I think everybody tries to do the same.

on the journey of his ideas about set-pieces over 10 years:

No, no. It's not about that football. It's using those moments, and if you cannot generate other moments, make sure that you use these ones. But I think it's something that relates as well to the culture of the coach, the environment, and then the players that you have, and everything has to be aligned. I mean, if you want to have a certain approach to the way you play the game, for example, we are super aggressive, you better sign and educate and train situations when the team can deliver that. Because if not, if you want to be a team that do really good high press, you better be the best in the world at tracking back, because at some point, the ball is going to break your press. So you have to have players that are able to deliver that. So it's all in relation to what you want to do. You have to acquire and have and evolve the players in that direction.

on if this is phase five:

No, this is not about the phases. The phases was something else.

on if it’s possible to break Chelsea’s record of 15 goals conceded:

You mentioned the word ‘if’ three times in that question. And in football, if, if, if is too many ifs. It's so unpredictable already. So on top of that, you put ifs, then it becomes extremely difficult to focus on the things that we are doing. We are doing consistently well and if we can improve them and let's see where we are at the end of the season.

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