Every word of Arteta's pre-Manchester City presser

Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the press ahead of our crunch clash against Manchester City in the Premier League.

The boss gave an injury update, assessed our title rivals and paid tribute to our former goalkeeper, Alex Manninger, who passed away yesterday.

Read every word below, or press play on the video above to watch!

on the sad passing of Alex Manninger:

Some very sad news, obviously. We want to send Alex’s family, everybody who was part of his journey in his life, our condolences and our love, obviously, because it was shocking news and a difficult one to take.

on how Madueke is after coming off on Wednesday:

Well, we have another training session tomorrow. He didn't look that bad after the game, and he was quite positive. He's a player who pushes through pain, so I'm hopeful that he can be available, but we have to wait and see if he's able to train tomorrow.

on if there’s a problem on the right side if Saka is also out:

We'll have a solution. So whatever happens, we are so used to this this season, unfortunately, for various reasons, so whatever happens, we'll have the right solution there.

on the availability of Odegaard, Timber and Calafiori:

We will try again. Some players are quite close, but the turnaround is short, so we will try tomorrow to push everybody, and if they are in good condition, they will be part of us, and if not, they won't. They haven't been in the last few weeks, unfortunately.

on if they’ve not been ruled out:

Bukayo [Saka] is out, that's for sure. The rest, let's see.

on Merino:

He’s out as well.

on reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League:

It was a great night. It really gave us a boost because to be part of those top, best European clubs is a big thing, and we haven't been there that often, so we really value that. We give a huge credit to the players for what they've done and they have to use that fuel, that energy that they gave us for Sunday, for the big game that we have to play.

on reports of using fire as a method in training:

Every game we use different themes to try to prepare the game in the best possible way and that depends on what we do. The best ones are the players' initiatives. That's the ones I love the most.

on the importance of this game against Man City:

It's certainly the most important one because it's the next one. We have earned the right to be in this position, to be challenging and with the possibility to win and the opportunity to win on Sunday, arguably against the best team and the best manager that this league has ever seen. That's a huge privilege, and we cannot wait to play the game. We're going to prepare the game to win it, that's for sure, and we see that as a big opportunity for us.

on if a draw would be a good result:

We’re not going to spend one second talking about that. We prepare every game to win, that's where we are and we're going to continue to do the same.

on if the biggest opponent is City or ourselves:

Our team has to give us every tool, every element that we need to go and win it. We will have a very, very strong opponent; we know that in front of us. We've been doing it for nine months in every context, we have played a lot of games against them, and we know what we have to do.

on how important our mindset and mentality is:

I think it's a big part of that. I mean, everything plays a part in a match. Technique as well, obviously, because without that there is nothing. But there is obviously a huge part to play in that sense and we have improved a lot in that area. We will have to show it on Sunday again, that's for sure.

on if this is the biggest game for Rice as an Arsenal player:

I don't know. I think it's unquestionable, the role that he has at the club, in the team, and he has earned it day by day. So the impact that he's had on us and in our way of playing, the way we are competing and where we are, it's a big part because of what he's done and what he's brought to the team as well. So Sunday is another opportunity for all our players to deliver that again.

on how confident we are that Dowman is ready for the occasion:

He will be ready, I'm sure. You throw him in any context, this kid, you know what he's going to be delivering and he's shown that this season and in whatever games that we used him.

on Pep Guardiola saying that the title race is over for Man City if we win on Sunday:

I know there are six games to go. Obviously it's a really important one for both teams and it will incline the balance a little bit. Winning a game in the Premier League is so tough for everybody, so after this one, they will still have some very difficult matches for all of us, and we'll have to wait and continue whatever happens.

on how to thrive in tense conditions:

I think that has to be the vitamin for everybody. In whatever we do, that's going to be what elevates us to be better and to strive to be better, to have more hunger, more desire to do it but never in a negative way.

on who is under more pressure between ourselves and City:

Who is more privileged to be in this position? I think that's the question.

on who is more privileged to be in this position:

I don't know! I feel very privileged, so I don't know how Pep [Guardiola] or Man City are feeling. I feel very privileged to have earned the right to be in this position, to play such a big and great game.

on going into a game of this magnitude with some players out injured:

We’ve had to cope with that all season and if you look back at the stages and the players that we've missed for big, big, big periods and where we are, it's not normal where we are. But we have coped with that because of our mentality and the solutions that we find, the way the players have stepped up in this moment, and we are where we are. We are still very strong and we will remain the same way.

on Bernardo Silva leaving City at the end of the season:

Incredible player and incredible person as well. First time I watched him live, it was at PSG v Monaco. Straight away, I fell in love with him. Not only the way he played, the way he competes, the way he lives the game, the desire, the hunger that he has. And then obviously, we spent four years together. A top guy, you see him in any circumstances and he delivers always his very best. One of those players that I think has marked history in the Premier League.

on how important it is to manage key players after Hugo Ekitike suffered a long-term injury for Liverpool:

I don't know about Hugo's situation beforehand, but I take the opportunity to hopefully say he recovers very soon, because I think he's a tremendous player, and with B [Saka], we are trying to protect the player first of all and then to perform as well as he possibly can. The idea is that we can possibly deliver that, so that's a challenge.

on if Saka has been able to come back to training yet:

He's just starting to do some stuff, so let's see that progression, how quickly we can go through it, and then wait, but at the moment it's not about that.

on if there’s been a conscious effort to try to lift Zubimendi:

That’s our responsibility, to try and give players the tools to step up, and to understand when they’re not at their best, what they’re reason is - to try and unlock that.

on if it’s been a tough season for him mentally:

I don’t know, but when you see that reaction, it’s because the players value everything that he’s doing for the team, and because of the type of person he is. When someone reacts in the manner that he did in the Champions League, to play the level he did, it’s great for him.

on what we’ve learned from the Carabao Cup final against City

They’ve done it in the past - there are some moments when we struggled, we didn’t make the right decisions, sometimes we broke that press and then we didn’t take advantage of that. Every tactic has its issues and its opportunities as well, and in relation to what they do, we’ll adapt and do the same.

on how Mosquera has adapted to the team this season:

[Adaptation] is one of the qualities that we liked about him, and when Andrea [Berta] proposed the player, he knew him very well from Valencia, and we started to analyse him - we needed a player of that profile. It’s surprisingly positive the way he’s done it, because to ask him to sit in the Premier League at this level is one thing; to ask him to play in the three different positions, regardless of the opposition, it’s something else. He has been phenomenal.

on players deciding Rice should be captain recently:

There is a captain, a vice-captain, and then three or four and the votes are very small. At the end they have to decide who is the best person to represent us. It can be the moment, the longevity that they’ve been at the club, and they decided it was Declan, so great.

on if there is any long-term significance on who our captain is:

I don’t think so.

on how relevant the Carabao Cup final is to this weekend:

For us now, learn from that game - and the things we want to change for the next one, and the pain that we felt afterwards - in the right way on Sunday.

on if we use the behaviours of other players as motivation for our team:

No, I think every player has their way to express [themselves], and we have to respect that. It’s part of football, you’re allowed to do it, and you can react in the manner that you want. I think the player has to be respected, because he’s entitled to those things.

on Erling Haaland’s stay humble comment:

If I had to talk about all the things that have been said on a pitch, I think we’d have some big meetings.

on if it’s unusual for a player to say that:

Not that much - don’t worry, the mics are coming in football, I don’t know when! That’s one of the nicest things you can get told.

on if there will be fireworks and rivalry this weekend:

It’s obviously an extremely competitive match against top sides that are looking to win the Premier League. It doesn’t get better than that - the competition for sure is going to be seen on the pitch.

on if our players would like to get one over City more than any other side:

Not in particular. It’s about what we want, and how we want to get it done. That’s more than enough for us.

on making a major step in the right direction if we win:

If we win, we’re going to be closer, that’s for sure, and that’s why we want to win the game on Sunday.

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