Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal FC, held a pre-match press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg at home against Lille OSC. During the opening remarks, Arteta discussed injuries to Piero Emerson Hincapié and Martín Ødegaard sustained during post-match training, the team's attacking efficiency, Bukayo Saka's playing time opportunities, emotional control during matches, and his assessment of Thierry Henry, his former teammate.

Journalist: Hello Mikel. First, could you update us on the latest injury situation? We saw Piero Emerson Hincapié appeared to pick up an injury after the match. How did that happen? It seems particularly unlucky. How is he now?

Mikel Arteta: What happened is we scheduled a post-match training session for players who didn't get enough minutes, to help everyone recover for Sunday and maintain match fitness. Unfortunately, in two unlucky collisions, we lost two players. Yes, it feels really bad.

Journalist: How severe are their injuries? The other injured player is Martín Ødegaard, correct?

Mikel Arteta: Yes. We need to assess both of them. They'll undergo scans today to determine the exact situation. Then we'll know the precise recovery timeline and how long they need to rest.

Journalist: Looking back at the weekend's match, you've had several days to review it. What are your thoughts? And tomorrow you'll face Lille.

Mikel Arteta: Looking back at that match, there were many positive things. It was excellent how we responded in that very difficult moment and turned the game around. Our early-game performance was impressive. We need to improve on finishing in the final third, and our defending in the penalty area needs work as well. Overall, especially after the international break, I'm very pleased with the result.

Journalist: Throughout this season, the team has shown tremendous mental strength, but there may still be areas to improve in attack, such as fluidity in build-up play. How do you see that developing?

Mikel Arteta: I think it's developing very well. I believe we may need to improve our finishing, but in terms of creative attacking play before the international break, I think we're better than any previous year. Of course, since then we've played Brighton and another match in completely different contexts, but I think we've created excellent positions and chances. Now we need to be sharper and convert more chances into goals.

Journalist: I'd like to ask specifically about one player: Bukayo Saka. This season he's started just two matches and was an unused substitute last weekend. Do you have higher expectations for him? How would you assess his performance this season?

Mikel Arteta: Like everyone else, I think he has to fight for his position. This has to be shown in daily training. When he gets on the pitch, he has to show the impact that the team needs to achieve our goals. He'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to prove himself. His attitude is always impeccable, and we need to adapt and maximize his technical qualities as well.

Journalist: Mikel, hello. For Piero Emerson Hincapié and Ødegaard, in a competition at this level, details often determine success or failure. Losing two players during a post-match recovery training session is far from ideal, isn't it?

Mikel Arteta: Absolutely. It's far from ideal.

Journalist: What measures will you take in the future to prevent similar situations from occurring?

Mikel Arteta: Simple. Just don't train. If they never train, they won't get injured. But the consequence is that when they have to play, they'll be completely off the pace. When you send them on the pitch, they won't have any positive impact on the game. This might happen at Emirates. Over the seven years I've been here, it's never happened. It could happen in training the next day, which has happened before. Hopefully after this, it won't happen again. But what can you do? If I had a crystal ball, I'd say: lads, everyone go jump in the jacuzzi and see you tomorrow.

Journalist: About the image of Piero Emerson Hincapié being carried off by the backup goalkeeper, surrounded by several coaches and medical staff. Were you concerned at that moment?

Mikel Arteta: That's another matter. It's not appropriate to discuss that here.

Journalist: Hello Mikel. How are you doing? Your team seems to have learned to stay calm this season when things don't go as planned. In Saturday's match, you went down a goal but didn't panic. Against Naples, you dominated the game but didn't score for a long time, yet the entire team remained composed and unflustered. Can you explain how you instill that in your players? Because maintaining composure and not panicking on the pitch is a rare quality.

Mikel Arteta: I think it's because we have to be in control of our emotions regardless of the circumstances. That's easy to say but hard to do. We manage it for most of the match, which is excellent, but we failed to do so against Brighton and paid the price. So there are always lessons to learn and ways to improve. This is important because with the intense fixture schedule of playing every three days, unexpected situations will happen on the pitch, and you need to be able to adapt and fix those problems.

Journalist: Tomorrow you'll face a familiar face from the past. That's Thierry Henry. Could you share some memories of him?

Mikel Arteta: He's fantastic. We were teammates. First and foremost, he's an exceptional person and a brilliant teammate in the dressing room. As a player, I remember when he first arrived, he had just won the Ligue 1 title with Montpellier. When he came here, he made a tremendous impact on the team in a very special way, with a technical style different from what we'd used before. He's had a remarkable career, and he deserves every bit of that success.

Journalist: I think he and Kai Havertz have some similarities. I think both have been underrated. I think they—especially Thierry—have been vastly underrated.

Mikel Arteta: Not by his teammates, absolutely not. At least as far as I know. I can't speak for others, but first of all, he's an extremely intelligent player and very difficult to face. I mean, whenever he's on the pitch, he's a major threat in the penalty area. He plays with great intelligence, links the game beautifully with his teammates, and his movement and commitment are exceptional. So we definitely don't underrate him.

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