• 2 weeks ago
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta discussed wanting to be the highest valued squad saying : "One of the main things was the value of the squad. We want to be kings of value in a squad in the world and last year I think we were the best in Europe. Before that, we were so far behind."

06/12/2024

Sobha Realty Training Ground, London, UK
Transcript
00:00With Emile, was it especially tough, tougher than any other,
00:04even what he's done?
00:06It was a special one, for sure,
00:08but as well, when you look to somebody in their eyes
00:11and he really believes that it's the best move for him,
00:15that it's the right time for him to move,
00:17that he really needs another challenge,
00:20at the end you have to understand
00:22that you have to show your gratitude and move on, that's it.
00:27You played with Alex Ruocchi, I think,
00:28the overlap towards the end.
00:30His career has been quite up and down to a degree,
00:33I think he's probably played himself,
00:35and he's now playing the best as well.
00:38Do you see this play as a factor?
00:39I always liked him a lot,
00:40I always thought that he had tremendous quality,
00:44a very special talent,
00:45a talent that is the capacity to play in different spaces,
00:48positions as well,
00:50and I'm really happy to see him playing at that level.
00:52Giuro?
00:54You say you want to be the king of everything,
00:56how close are you to being the king of everything?
00:59Very far.
01:00I don't think there's ever been a team that has achieved that.
01:04Do we have the best atmosphere in the world at the stadium?
01:07Not yet.
01:08Have we improved a lot?
01:09Yeah.
01:10Do we have the best academy in the world?
01:12Not yet.
01:13Do we have the best mentality in the world?
01:14Not yet.
01:15We want to achieve that.
01:16Are we the most physical team in the world?
01:18No.
01:19Do we have the best individuals to play magic moments every three days?
01:22No.
01:24Is it even possible to get to that level?
01:27Or is it just about constant striving?
01:29I think that way, you know?
01:31We score three magic moment goals every game.
01:34That's the objective.
01:35That's the project.
01:36We score one, it's good.
01:38We want two, and then three.
01:39It's not going to happen overnight.
01:41But it's a lot of the things that we put targets,
01:43you know, it's impossible, no?
01:44They have come to reality.
01:46In terms of teams that you've admired,
01:50when you look at your data, are there any specific teams?
01:52No, I've never admired a team.
01:54Never won anyone?
01:56Admired a team on set pieces?
01:57Admired?
01:58No.
01:59I wouldn't use that word, no.
02:00Watch?
02:02Yeah, well, there have been some really good teams, yeah.
02:07I don't know.
02:08I have to think.
02:10Arsenal.
02:11Let's say that.
02:14You've clearly been brilliant in identifying something like a course
02:19because of the amount of goals you've scored.
02:21Is there something else within the game,
02:25you can tell us if you like, I'm not expecting you to,
02:28but something there fundamentally that you thought,
02:31actually, we can really benefit from that?
02:33Is there something else that you can see that you get to tap into?
02:38Yeah, for sure.
02:39Obviously, when we are monitoring the team
02:42and understanding only the team and the squad,
02:44one of the main things was the value of our squad.
02:48We want to be the kings of value of the squad in the world,
02:51and last year I think we were probably the best in Europe.
02:55Before, we were so far.
02:57We need to do a lot of things to generate value in this squad,
03:00to generate value in a lot of things that we do.
03:02We need to have a project and we need to work on that.
03:05We did it for three or four years,
03:07and last year was the first time or the second time
03:09that we had the highest value in any squad in Europe.
03:12That's an objective, and now it's a reality.
03:16It's great to see that.
03:17There's a lot of people involved, putting effort into things,
03:20and then it happens, but you have to think that way.
03:23In terms of value, in terms of what they do,
03:26or the output, or the actual...
03:29In every sense, what they produce, how they can perform,
03:32what is the actual value in that market,
03:35what is the sustainability of that squad,
03:38in what kind of phase each player is,
03:40the squad is, the starting XI is, the academy is,
03:43what is the pathway?
03:44There's a lot of things that you have to plan out,
03:46because you want to make a sustainable performance,
03:48and as well the capacity to constantly evolve as a team
03:52and the demands of this game.
03:54And we are doing it.
03:56Are you a manager that, just looking at Sunday's game,
03:59you're a manager that looked back on last season,
04:01you dropped three points there, you dropped two points at home against Fulham.
04:05I guess there's been such a strange season,
04:08it looks like such a strange table.
04:12But you can almost put five points in straight away.
04:16Do you have to look at it like that?
04:18Unfortunately, it's not that easy.
04:20Because as well the position plays,
04:22and Neymar too, to get points,
04:24you haven't been the best on that day,
04:26it can be from other factors as well,
04:28this season it has already happened.
04:30So that's it, what is going, unfortunately, is going.
04:32Learn from it, make sure that you are better equipped
04:35and prepared for the next one,
04:36and then it's about delivering when you have the chance to do it.
04:39Finally, we'll go to Ed.
04:42I wanted to ask about your set-piece coach.
04:44Do you think he's enjoying all the attention that he's getting,
04:47all the credit he's getting from everybody else?
04:50Obviously he's very visible when he comes out on that corner,
04:53you take a step back from the dugout and he comes to the front.
04:57Does he enjoy all of that attention?
05:00I don't know, obviously the fulfilment of his work,
05:03it's very recognisable and he needs to be very proud of that.
05:06Not only him as well, but a lot of people that put a lot of effort
05:10into preparation, into a lot of things,
05:12starting with data, with analysis, with video,
05:15in training sessions, a lot of the staff that participates in that,
05:18and then the players that are the main protagonists at the end
05:20to deliver something.
05:22Saliba didn't score the nicest goal of his career the other day,
05:25look at the way he celebrates, it's unbelievable.
05:28Look at the crowd he celebrates.
05:30Those ugly goals are exactly the same as the most beautiful one
05:33that he scored against Bournemouth,
05:35same value, same emotion, or even higher.
05:38That tells you the story.
05:40Do you think that with your success with the set-piece
05:42has created a bit of fear among your opponents?
05:45Obviously two goals in the last game,
05:47is it something you can capitalize on?
05:50I don't know, I don't know how they will feel about it,
05:52what they do, that's not in our control.
05:54We have to control the things that we can do,
05:56especially the ones that we are doing really well
05:58and the things that we can improve.
06:00And in that area, again, we have still big margins.
06:04OK, well, thanks very much.

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