Arteta: We learned from the past, deeper squads are better

In the opening match of the new Premier League season, reigning champions Arsenal will host newly-promoted Coventry. Prior to the match, Arsenal manager Arteta attended a press conference to answer questions from the media. The following is the first part of this press conference.

Good afternoon, Mikel. You're sitting here now, 24 hours away from the start of the new season. How different does it feel to be starting a new season as the reigning champions? As you sit here and you think back to this moment and everything that you've been through, and the runner-up experiences, to be sitting here thinking, "Wow, we're starting this as champions."

It does feel different and hopefully, it feels better. I'm more excited than ever, I'm hungrier than ever, and I cannot wait to start the new Premier League season in front of our fans, at home, and play a great game and win it.

People often say that good teams win titles, but only the greatest teams defend them. What faith do you have in your squad to believe that you can do it again? Because Arsenal hasn't defended a title in many, many years.

I think what the great teams have is an incredible quality to maintain the standards at an extremely high level every single day. And that's the opportunity that we have now. I have no doubt about the desire and the ambition of our players to achieve that. Now, it's something that we need to fight for and implement in our daily work.

In the last couple of weeks, you've talked about bringing in reinforcements. How close are you to getting the defensive reinforcements that you want? And when you look at the caliber of players that you're being linked with, what does that say about where Arsenal is right now? Because these are players who are adapted to the Premier League, in the prime of their careers. It shows how much you want to challenge again, doesn't it?

We're being very active in the transfer market. I think I mentioned it a few days ago, our ambition is to improve the squad. And obviously, we have a very specific issue at the back, especially with Saliba being out for a long time, and we are missing a defender, that's clear. So we are working to reinforce that area, and as soon as it's ready, we will announce it.

Is there any progress? It doesn't look like it's going to be done before the start of the new season, does it? But are you confident it can be done in the next few days?

I'm always optimistic and always very confident, but it's something that I cannot control. It's not only dependent on us. But we are desperate to improve that position, and we will do our best to make it happen.

On the other side of that, obviously, there are a lot of rumors about players potentially leaving, because you only have so much squad capacity. How ruthless and how difficult is it when you've been on a journey with this group of players and you've built such a strong team bond, to then turn around to those players and say, "You're not going to get much game time this year"? You've nurtured these guys in some ways, and watched them grow from boys into men, haven't you?

That's a great question. It's a very, very difficult moment when you have to face that reality. But I think you need to approach it with real honesty and transparency. Because when you're on the other side of that, that's exactly what you need. You might not like what you hear, but if it's true, if it's objectively real, if it's honest, and it can help you make better decisions and make your career clearer for the next step, then you have to do it. Those conversations are always super tough, but they have to happen.

The same as when a player feels that he doesn't belong here or isn't important anymore and wants to open a new chapter. I think that communication has to be there and it has to be bidirectional. We all know that everything has a beginning and an end, and when the end comes, I think our duty and our responsibility is to deal with it in the best possible way, maintaining respect and appreciation for the players, and maintaining good relationships, while understanding that we ultimately have to make football decisions.

I know you talked about Martinelli's exclusion from the squad after Sunday's game, and Nwaneri needing game time. Are there any developments with either of those two players? Because with the deadline approaching, a lot can happen in three days.

No. We know that anything can happen on the last day. So without talking about specific details, it's something that we are working on with every single player to understand. I want the squad to be as deep as possible because we know what we're fighting for and how long this season is. We've learned from the past, especially last year when we were in trouble, especially with two or three injuries in the same area of the pitch. So the deeper our squad is, the better. We have to manage that properly, but players also need to feel important and valued, and to do that, they need to get game time.

Hello, I wanted to ask you about the mentality. Now that you're starting the new season as reigning champions, do you feel like you can take a breather, or is there more pressure? What kind of motivational speech did you give the players?

We need to breathe, and we need to take it as it comes, because it's going to be another long marathon. What we need to show is a better desire and ambition than we did last season, a month ago, or a week ago when we played against Manchester City. We have the ability to improve, to evolve, and that's the atmosphere I feel throughout the club, especially among the players.

Regarding the first match, I saw a statistic that Arsenal is unbeaten in 45 consecutive home Premier League games against newly-promoted teams. Does this give you confidence for the first match of the new season?

I think every game is different, and we are going to face a very tough opponent. I think what they have achieved as a club is remarkable, and what Frank (Lampard) has done is incredible. After so many years away from the Premier League, they earned the right to return to the Premier League, and they earned it in a very special way. Not only have they reached where they are today, but they fully deserve everything they have. I really like the way they play and the courage they show in every game.

Speaking of their excellent performance last season, they were the top-scoring and best defensive team in the Championship. How would you rate the work that Frank Lampard has done, and what are your expectations for them this season?

Incredible. That's what I just mentioned because I know all those stats, and I've watched a lot of their games, and also because we know them from when we faced them, and he was managing at Chelsea before. So, yes, I think the work he's done is outstanding, and I'm sure they will show ambition on Friday night, so we are ready because we know what we're going to face.

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