Mikel Arteta struck a determined tone on Tuesday morning as he addressed the media ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Nottingham Forest. He reflected on the aftermath of their defeat to West Ham United, provided team updates—including on Ethan Nwaneri—and shared his perspective on the title race.
Arteta spoke candidly about Arsenal’s position in the title chase, acknowledging the impact of injuries and suspensions on his squad’s performances. He remained resolute in his approach, even addressing questions about the club’s sporting director situation.
Press Conference Highlights
Good morning, Mikel. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli won’t be available tomorrow, but are they recovering well? And can you update us on Ethan Nwaneri, who seemed fatigued on Saturday?
Yes, Ethan was just experiencing cramps. His workload has varied significantly in recent weeks, but he’s fine. As for Bukayo and Gabi, they are making great progress, though they still need more time before returning.
Last weekend felt pivotal in the title race. While it’s still mathematically possible, how frustrating is it to see Liverpool maintaining their momentum?
It was a tough weekend. Over the last 15 games, we’ve won ten and drawn five—identical to Liverpool—with the same goal difference of +23. We’ve been consistent for months despite challenges, but this past weekend, we didn’t get the result we needed while they won. That made it hard to take. However, there are still many games left, and we have the hunger, quality, and consistency to keep fighting. That’s exactly what we’ll do on Wednesday.
Unlike the past two seasons, where Arsenal’s fate was in their own hands, you’re now chasing a team that’s 11 points ahead and showing no signs of slipping. How frustrating is that?
You can’t control that. Ultimately, to win this league, you need to hit a certain points tally, and we have to focus on reaching that target. We’ll keep pushing no matter what.
Ideally, you’d have a fully fit squad, but you’ve always seemed to enjoy solving footballing challenges. Right now, the main issue is finding ways to score goals. Do you see this as an exciting problem to tackle?
[Long pause] It’s been incredibly rewarding to work with the players, coaches, and staff to navigate these difficulties. If someone had told me at the start of the season that we’d have five red cards with over 30 minutes left in each game and multiple key injuries, most would assume we’d be mid-table and out of the Champions League race. But that’s not the case. That speaks to the team’s resilience, ambition, and determination.
When you’re in this position, you always want more. And I won’t stop—over my dead body—until we’ve done everything possible to maximize our chances, outperform our opponents, and maintain our high standards, no matter the circumstances.
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