On September 13, early morning Beijing time (CEST), Arteta will lead Arsenal against Sunderland. Ahead of the match, Arteta attended a press conference. Below is the first part of the press conference.

Are all players healthy after this week's medical checks? Any issues?

No, everything is normal.

Did Ben White look a bit lame when he left the field last time?

He's fine. He's in good shape, very good.

Any updates on Mosquera?

He's recovering very well. We'll see if he can return for this match or the next one. I'd say it's roughly on that timeline.

Speaking of Timber, did the trip to Naples go smoothly? How much longer before he gets playing time?

We'll have to see. We still have one more training session. He's recovering very well, has been training with the team for a few days, and looks in good shape.

If I had to list all the Arsenal nominations for the Ballon d'Or, I'd need a long list: the team itself is nominated for Best Team of the Year, you're nominated for Best Coach of the Year, David Raya is nominated for Best Premier League Goalkeeper this season, and three players from the squad are among the Ballon d'Or candidates. What does this say about the effectiveness of everyone's work at Arsenal?

It reflects the club's current development and shows that we're operating very well. The team has clearly demonstrated consistency in matches, and these individual awards are the result of outstanding teamwork. Of course, it's pleasant to see these nominations, but what's more important is that we need to turn this excellent performance into major trophies.

Do you think you have a chance of winning the Best Coach of the Year award?

That's not my decision to make, but being nominated alone is already an honour, undoubtedly.

Declan Rice clearly wants his teammates to win awards, including his England teammates. He mentioned Kane—do you think Kane should win this time?

I don't have a vote, so I'll leave that question to the professional voters.

Let's talk about the outstanding players in our squad. The England squad list won't be announced for another week, but this time we might have seven players selected. What does this say about the strength of Arsenal's core squad?

Let's wait and see Tuchel's final decision, then we can discuss it. I'm very satisfied with the players in the team. The squad has diverse styles and a balanced mix, especially the team we've built, with players who have different personalities and unique strengths. Our job is to maximize these advantages.

It feels like it's been a long time since a team had seven players selected for the England squad. For a team like Arsenal, how important is it to have a group of international players from your own country?

It's very important, not just for the players but also for the coaching staff and the entire club. It makes our cultural foundation clearer and allows everyone to identify more deeply with the club's identity and values.

This season, everyone has talked about Ødegaard's outstanding performance, and there seems to be a developing understanding between him and Trossard—three of Trossard's four assists this season are for Ødegaard. Have they already developed this telepathic understanding?

I hope so. We always strive to foster good understanding among all players. Their partnership is indeed a good start, and we'll see how far this cooperation can develop in the future. For now, it's a very positive sign.

Now for the supercomputer predictions.

I knew this part was coming.

In the Champions League, your odds of winning have increased from 1.5% higher than Bayern Munich to now leading at 5%, making you the favourite. But more importantly is the Premier League, where your chances of winning are 53.71%, with Manchester City in second place at 27.63%—a very significant gap.

I only care about the odds of winning tomorrow night's match; that's the priority. We need to maximize our chances of winning, and for that, we have to give everything on the pitch and beat this strong opponent, which we all understand.

But here's a reminder: you still have a 0.05% chance of being relegated.

We can't be complacent.

Let's talk about Ødegaard again. You previously mentioned that he adjusts his height, angle, and running patterns to help the team move the ball, and that's why he's become increasingly effective. So can this kind of football intelligence be taught by coaches, or does it depend more on the player's own judgment?

Both. First, the coach needs to give the team clear tactical intent, player roles, tactical concepts, and principles of play so players understand how to execute efficiently. But if the timing is off, or the rhythm of positioning or running is wrong, it won't be effective. This is something we communicate repeatedly with the players.

Clearly, everyone has talked about the fluidity of your attack. Declan Rice exploits space on the right, Zinchenko pierces from the left—this certainly contributes significantly to the team's offensive advancement. How much do you think this enriches your attacking layers? And how big a role could this style of play have against Sunderland?

It depends on our players and, of course, on the opponent's performance and the approach they take, especially at different stages of the match. Based on that, we'll try to exploit our players' strengths, create vertical attacks where possible, advance as far as we can, and place our best players in the most advantageous attacking positions as much as possible.

At the end of last season, you said, "When a team is going through difficult times, I think it's better to observe than to talk a lot, to watch and see how people perform in that atmosphere." I know the new season has just started, but the team is currently very stable, playing beautiful football, and winning matches. When the team is winning and everything is going smoothly, what qualities do you look for in the players?

For example, how they recover the next day, how they interact with each other, their mental state, how they train the next morning, their focus in meetings. When you look at each other, when you look into each other's eyes, how long can their attention stay focused, how much are they talking about the next match, and what lessons do they need to learn from the previous match. There are many things to observe in these aspects.

Regarding Havertz, I think it's difficult for many people to accurately determine his best position. So the first part of the question is: How do you see his best position? How do you determine his best position? Please explain to me, and to everyone, how important he is to your team.

His best position depends on the match day requirements and the team's needs. It's about being as efficient as possible, as predictive as possible. Kai is very intelligent—that's his greatest strength. He understands the game very well, he's always five or ten seconds ahead of play, he knows what he needs to do, and he acts without overthinking. He also makes the players around him better, which is another huge advantage. Besides that, he scores goals, creates chances, and as everyone knows, his work rate is truly outstanding. He's currently performing very well.

So, literally, his best position in the team could change from match to match?

Yes, of course it can. Because you could play him as a center forward, but how should he play as a center forward? What's his role with and without the ball? So there are many aspects to consider. When you mark a position on the tactical board, you might place the number 9 in the middle. But how does he react to set pieces, transitions, high pressing? Is the goalkeeper's dominant foot left or right? Many factors can cause that initial space and position to shift differently.

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