Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attended a pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League group stage match at home against Lille. In the opening segment of the conference, Arteta discussed injuries to Hincapié and Zubimendi sustained during a recovery training session after the match, the team's attacking performance, playing opportunities for Eze, emotional control during matches, and his assessment of former teammate Giroud.

Journalist: Hello, Mikel. First, I'd like to ask about the team's injury situation. We saw Piero Hincapié apparently injured after the match. How did that happen? Obviously, it's very unfortunate. How is he now?

Arteta: What happened was we had a training session for players who didn't get enough minutes in the match, to help them recover ahead of Sunday and keep everyone at an optimal match rhythm. As a result, from two very unfortunate collisions, we lost two players. Yes, it feels terrible.

Journalist: What are their injuries? Was the other injured player Martín Zubimendi?

Arteta: Yes. We need to assess them. They'll undergo further tests today to determine the exact situation, and then we'll know the precise recovery period and how long they'll be sidelined.

Journalist: Looking back at the weekend match, you've had a few days to analyze it. What are your thoughts? And tomorrow you play Lille.

Arteta: Looking back at that match, there were still many positive aspects. Obviously, how we managed an extremely difficult situation and turned the match around was excellent. Our performance in the early stages was also impressive. We need to improve our finishing in the final third and our defensive performance in the box also needs improvement. Overall, especially after the international break, I'm very pleased with the result.

Journalist: So far this season, the team has shown very good mental attitude, but perhaps there's still room for improvement in the attacking aspect—like fluidity in attack? How do you think that's progressing?

Arteta: I think it's progressing very well. I think we probably need to improve our shot conversion, but in terms of creative attacking play before the international break, I believe it's better than any previous year. Of course, after that, we played Brighton and another match in a completely different context. But I think we created some excellent positions and opportunities, and now what we need is to be more clinical and convert more chances into goals.

Journalist: I also wanted to ask about a specific player: Eberechi Eze. He's only started two matches this season and was an unused substitute at the weekend. Do you have higher expectations for him? How would you assess his performance so far this season?

Arteta: Like everyone else, I believe they have to earn their playing time through performance. This has to be demonstrated in daily training, and when they step onto the pitch, they also have to show the required impact for the team to achieve that objective. He'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to prove his worth. His attitude has always been impeccable, and we need to adapt and utilize his individual technical qualities.

Journalist: Mikel, hello. For Hincapié and Zubimendi, in such a high-level competition, details often determine success or failure. Losing two players in a post-match recovery training session is far from ideal, right?

Arteta: It's far from ideal, yes.

Journalist: What measures can be taken in the future to prevent similar situations from occurring again?

Arteta: It's simple: just don't train. If they never train, they won't get injured. But the cost of that is when they need to play, they'll be completely out of rhythm; and when you put them on the pitch, they'll have no positive impact on the game. This can happen at the Emirates; it's never happened in the seven years I've been here. It can also happen in the next day's training session, which has happened before. Let's hope that now it has happened, it won't happen again. But what can you do? If I had a crystal ball that could see the future, I'd say: Lads, everyone in the hot tub, see you tomorrow.

Journalist: Regarding Hincapié being taken off the pitch by the substitute goalkeeper, surrounded by many coaches and medical staff—did that concern you at that moment?

Arteta: That's a different matter, not suitable for discussion here.

Journalist: Hello Mikel, how are you? Your team seems to have learned this season not to panic when things aren't going well. In Saturday's match, they were down a goal but didn't panic. I watched the Napoli match, and they dominated, but despite not scoring for a long time, the whole team stayed calm and composed, no panic. Can you explain how you've instilled this in the players? Because maintaining calm and composure on the pitch is a very special skill.

Arteta: I think it's because we have to be emotionally dominant regardless of the situation. That's easy to say, but very difficult to do in practice. We've done it in most of our matches, which is great. But we didn't do it against Brighton and we paid the price. So there are always lessons to learn and improvements to make. This is crucial because with a high-intensity fixture schedule of playing every three days, it's inevitable that unexpected situations occur on the pitch, and you have to be able to adapt and solve those problems.

Journalist: Tomorrow you'll face a familiar face: Olivier Giroud. Can you share some memories about him?

Arteta: He's fantastic. We were teammates. First of all, he's a person with great personality, a great guy in the dressing room. As a player, I remember when he first arrived, he had won the Ligue 1 title with Montpellier. When he came here, he made a profound impact on the team in a very unique way, with a completely different technical style than what we were used to before. He's had an incredible career, and he fully deserves it.

Journalist: Actually, I think he and Kai Havertz have something in common. I think both are underestimated. I think especially Olivier is definitely very underestimated.

Arteta: Certainly not by his teammates, that's for sure. At least as far as I know, I don't know what others think. But first and foremost, he's an extremely intelligent player, and very, very difficult to face. I mean, every time he's on the pitch, he's a huge threat in the box. He plays very intelligently, he's extremely good at linking up with teammates, and his work rate and commitment are remarkable. So we certainly don't underestimate him.

Traducido por IA.

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