Mikel Arteta previews Arsenal vs Everton.
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00:00 How do you feel about Saturday night?
00:16 It's one of the biggest weeks for sure for many of us and certainly now is the most important
00:22 moment. Really excited, can't wait for Sunday to be in front of us and obviously very optimistic
00:32 as well with the possible outcome.
00:34 Did you have to lift the trophy a bit on Wednesday morning?
00:54 Obviously the hope is there and it didn't happen and now we have to do our job which
01:01 is going to be tough because it was a really good moment. We're going to have to prove
01:06 again that we can be better than the opponent and win the game. We have to wish for the
01:13 best, we have to wish for West Ham to have a really good day and help us to fulfil our
01:20 dream. That's what we're hoping for.
01:22 I know David Moyes has been important for you in your playing career. I wondered if
01:34 you had a little message from him or had a little chat to him this week because he can
01:37 do you one big favour, can't he?
01:38 No, I don't think I need to do that. He's been instrumental and so important in my career,
01:44 not only as a footballer but as a person as well. He could help us to fulfil our dream
01:51 and my personal dream as well to win the Premier League. That would be unbelievable and always
01:57 be in my memory, that's for sure.
01:59 It's hard to predict what happens on Sunday as it unfolds but knowing you, you've got
02:06 your scenarios. I wondered what sort of messages or ways of dealing with that pressure on Sunday
02:14 that you've spoken to the players about because they're going to sense what's happening in
02:18 the other game, aren't they?
02:20 Yes, but the only thing we discussed is we have to give ourselves the opportunity to
02:25 live a beautiful day on Sunday where the dream is still alive and is possible and is football.
02:34 Once we are there we just have to live the moment and the moment is going to be to play
02:38 like every single week. Understanding that for that dream to happen we have to win, that's
02:45 for sure very certain and then we have to hope again for West Ham to help us to achieve
02:51 that dream. That part is on us and it's the only thing we can focus on.
02:56 If it isn't to be on Sunday, what's the one thing you're proudest of this season?
03:05 I can't think like this. I just think that we're going to win the game and hopefully
03:11 something beautiful is going to happen. Let's wait.
03:15 You use words like you're really excited, you're optimistic. Do you sense that around
03:22 your players as well, around the squad?
03:24 I do and around the building. We are in the last day of the season playing for the Premier
03:29 League. The Premier League trophy hasn't been yet at the Emirates Stadium and that stadium
03:35 was built almost 20 years ago. So that's a long, long time. So yes, we have to be very
03:41 optimistic. The trophy is going to be there and it's possible. We have to do our duties
03:48 and then we have to wait and see what happens.
03:50 History is against you. I think this is the tenth time that the Premier League title will
03:54 be decided on the final day and on each of the previous nine occasions the team that
03:58 was top has gone on to win the title as well. Are you banking on the law of averages that
04:03 says that at some stage that's going to have to change?
04:06 That's not going to change, you mean? It's a probability. The more something happens
04:10 the more probably that something else can happen. Let's wish that that's the case.
04:15 We've seen the past Manchester City have been in this position. They've managed to get over
04:19 the line but they've wobbled as we saw against the Crete Park Rangers, we saw it against
04:22 Aston Villa. Does that show that this sort of occasion can get to a team, even like Manchester City?
04:28 It's really difficult to beat any opponent in the Premier League and when something is
04:33 at stake as well obviously that task becomes more and more difficult but that's not in
04:40 our control, that's for sure.
04:42 A lot of people were talking about the win against Spurs, they've got one hand on the
04:49 trophy and so on. Almost talking as if the job was as good as done. Is that a little
04:53 bit disrespectful to West Ham as well as you say that in the Premier League you've still
04:57 got to go out and win these matches?
04:59 I don't know. We all know that they were a little bit a step closer, that's for sure
05:03 because it's one game less and they have to play at home. But they're going to play a
05:08 really, really tough opponent. We have suffered this season over the last few seasons, really
05:13 tough to beat them. Again, I'm sure they're going to be very at it and hopefully they
05:20 can help us to achieve our dream.
05:21 We know about your relationship with Pep, has there been any communication between the
05:26 two of you?
05:27 No, no.
05:28 You've won championships alongside Pep at Manchester City, in your heart of hearts do
05:40 you think they will lose on Sunday?
05:45 I don't know, lose or draw, this is what we need, that's for sure.
05:48 But you know how when they get on this roll of winning games and with a championship in
05:54 their sight they're almost impossible to stop?
05:57 Well if I don't believe today, imagine how much I could believe in August then. Because
06:04 then from August, 38 games against Manchester City, what they've done in the last 12, 13
06:08 years as a club, what we have done in the last 20 years in the Premier League, we have
06:13 zero chance then. We cannot start like this, we have to believe, for sure.
06:17 Is it ironic that two of the clubs in this country that mean so much to you are involved,
06:22 or two people, David Moyes and Everton, are involved in you getting your dream on Sunday?
06:28 That's the beauty of this industry, that you come across with people that you had experience
06:33 in your life, that they've been super important for you personally and now you need something
06:40 from them. So hopefully it will happen.
06:43 And if it doesn't, I mean obviously you hope it doesn't, you have to stay positive, has
06:48 this season still been a success? I mean to get 89 points is still incredible.
06:53 Yeah, but we are here to win and that's my aim and that's the only thing I'm thinking
06:58 of.
06:59 If I could just take your mind off the title race for one second, VAR, there's going to
07:04 be a vote next month from clubs about whether VAR should be abolished or not. I mean you've
07:10 had your run-ins a little bit this season with VAR shall we say. What is your anticipation
07:16 of how that might go? What would you personally like to see or do you not think we can ever
07:20 get rid of VAR now that we've got it?
07:22 I haven't been part of those meetings so I want to have a meeting with the club next
07:26 week and understand where these points are coming across, what happened in the last few
07:32 weeks to get to this position and then we will decide what our position is as a club
07:37 and see what happens.
07:38 Do you like to put your point across to the club before they go and vote?
07:43 First of all I want to understand because I haven't been part of those meetings so they
07:46 will explain to us what happens, what are the points they've been discussing, the reasons
07:50 why and what is the general feeling as well. From there we will make our own decision.
07:56 Hi Mikel, there was a lot of talk on Tuesday about whether the Tottenham fans wanted their
08:05 team to actually beat City because of what the implication would be with Arsenal. From
08:09 what you saw do you have any complaints about the Tottenham players and their application?
08:14 No, you can never complain about the opponent. I can't complain about what we haven't done
08:19 to have 91 or 93 or 95 points. That's the only thing we can do.
08:25 In terms of Sunday, will you have someone monitoring the City score or will you try
08:31 and ignore it? How do you approach that?
08:33 I think 60,000 people plus all the staff, plus the assistant coaches, plus all the families
08:43 behind their phones. I think it's enough.
08:45 How do you prepare the players mentally for that because you say the atmosphere is going
08:49 to be quite strange?
08:51 It will be different. I lived it as a player a few times and you just have to focus on
08:56 what you have to do. You would understand for certain reactions what is happening for
09:02 sure but stick focus on what we have to do.
09:06 Given this is one of the last times we are going to see you, do you plan to sit down
09:13 with the club to discuss your contract situation?
09:15 That's something that after the season, whenever the right time is, we will talk and I sit
09:21 down.
09:22 Is it important to get that done fairly early rather than let it drag on into the summer?
09:26 Important is to win now and to keep believing that we can continue to win. That's the important
09:31 thing.
09:32 How does Sunday go? Success with a league or not? Would that change at all your feeling
09:41 going into those talks about this club?
09:45 No. I think everything is relevant. I think whatever happens it will be very emotional
09:51 on the day so probably it's not the right moment to make any conclusions on that but
09:57 afterwards you have time to reflect. You have to go through the season, what we have
10:02 done to come to the point that we have done and try to understand the why. We have to
10:07 find the why and how we are going to do the next bit and that's more important now.
10:14 The title race has gone on with City's 115 charges not being resolved. Is there any frustration
10:24 from your side that so much football has been played and we still don't really know where
10:29 we stand with everything?
10:30 Yes, but that's something for the authorities to manage. It's not for us and if they are
10:35 playing it means they can play and they are entitled to play.
10:39 It's been quite a long journey to get to this point and I think whenever there's been
10:47 say at this point like missing Champions League or not getting to the title last season, it's
10:53 always been an improvement after that. One phrase you mentioned last year that I found
10:58 quite interesting was you said you wanted to recognise what went wrong but not accept
11:02 it. So I was just wondering where that thought process comes from with you when you are looking
11:09 at wanting to improve?
11:12 I need a few weeks to answer that question. I think in pre-season it would be a better
11:17 time to do that but it's impossible to evolve, to be better, to understand why the good things
11:22 that are happening are actually happening, who is involved, how we make those decisions
11:29 and try to understand continuously how we are going to get better. The ambition has
11:35 to be there and you have to feel it and the right people have to be in the same mindset.
11:39 It's really important to find that alignment first in understanding why it happened and
11:45 then this is how we are going to move forward.
11:47 In terms of belief, when did you feel it, not just from yourself but from everyone in
11:53 the building, not just players but staff as well, that being in a moment like this was possible?
11:59 I think it's something that happened gradually. I think you see the signs of we have a lot
12:06 of stability from ownership, from the board. Then you start to make very clear decisions
12:13 strategically and rely on the squad and the staff. Then you see how people work every
12:19 single day and how much they want it. You start to believe something special is happening
12:24 here and you start to evolve the squad. You have to bring players and that's very contagious.
12:29 You get excited because he's in the building, you have to get better, the one gets better
12:33 and it's like a snowball and it starts to get bigger and bigger and bigger. You start
12:37 to perform, to win, to win, to win and to realise that the gap is not that big and there
12:41 is something there to achieve. On top of that you have the people that we have supporting
12:46 us every single day, home and away, with that belief and that generates unbelievable energy
12:51 for the club.
12:52 Was there a moment you could sense that kind of change?
13:00 It was probably last season, definitely. When you see yourself, especially in the first
13:06 part of the season when you take off and you are playing the way you are playing, that
13:13 we can reach that level. Now the question is can we maintain it for ten games, 20, 30,
13:17 38, for two seasons, for three seasons, can we actually win it? That's something else
13:21 that we have to prove that we can do.
13:23 Are you confident that this team can keep challenging and keep winning titles?
13:42 Yes, I think that assessment has to be done after this season and understand where we
13:45 are and then you have to look at the picture, put it and say yes, I feel it. It's very important.
13:52 If you go there and you have to still tweak things and move things or move people or players,
13:57 whatever it is, you really need to have that feeling. I think we all had the feeling from
14:01 pre-season and bringing the players early, we have a chance here.
14:06 How important is it this summer to go again? Obviously last season, Keng Senghor went out
14:11 and got Declan Wright to make the only goal that this has done early as you said. How
14:14 important is it to do something similar this summer and to try and sustain that regardless
14:17 of what happens on Sunday?
14:19 Yes, that's the ideal scenario. Every club wants that. We want that as coaches and for
14:24 the players especially. You want that. And then for the team, for the environment. When
14:29 you do that, something clicks, something starts to build there and it's really important because
14:34 it starts to give you momentum. But yes, it's a Euros this season and Copa America so it
14:40 might be a different summer.
14:41 Are you saying that to the board, are you saying in these meetings that it is really
14:44 important that we keep this level up, we sustain it, we don't press on normally?
14:47 It's something that we all know. If we are given the choice, it's clear what we all want
14:53 to do. It's not the manager or the coach.
14:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]