Every word Mikel Arteta said on Saka fitness, Timber injury, red cards and Saliba appeal

Your unbeaten start to the season was ended at Bournemouth, what did you say to the players after that game and what's the message ahead of the match against Shakhtar?

Well, very clear, put a bit of perspective into the situation. Obviously we want to win in any context, the reality is that we have made that context very difficult to ourselves. It was very difficult already with the amount of players that we had out and the schedule and the games that we had to play, but that's the reality. And for that game we didn't get away with it, we could have done, and it could have been a very different narrative. The reality is we didn't.

And now the context is that we have lost one game in six months. And, OK, now we have to win again, win in the context that we have lost for the first time in six months. So, let's show it.

That's three red cards in Premier League games, there's been lots of talk around your side's disciplinary record, do you think your team has a problem with discipline?

Well, I mean, playing with 10 men, obviously there is an issue. The truth is when you analyse the three very different actions and the outcome of them, the reasons are very different. Regardless of that, we cannot continue to play with 10 men, especially at this level. And you see how struggling, all the teams have to win football matches. When you want to do it against 10 men for 65 minutes, the task becomes almost impossible. So, we need to eradicate that. It's clear why, the reason and how, it doesn't matter. We have to focus and it has to happen.

You had to play with old Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, are they any closer to being back and available? And if they're not, do your team have to learn how to play with both?

They are closer and they're both progressing really well. Martin is still not fit. With Bukayo, let's see how he feels today and the transition that we have later on.

You mentioned that it was your first defeat in 17 matches. In terms of the bigger picture, did that form part of your discussions with the players since the Bournemouth game? And also, what have you said to them about eradicating those kind of mistakes that you and Declan Rice have talked about?

I think we are already aligned. We cannot continue to play with 10 men, that's fine. It's easier to say than to get it done because there are very specific moments that have produced that situation. But it's that, it's reacting. You have a defeat, it's part of the game, it's part of the sport. It happened in very specific conditions as well. Let's move on, take that pain that we still have in that tummy, use it for tomorrow night.

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How much sympathy do you have for your opponents, Shakhtar Donetsk?

Obviously a lot of sympathy for the situation that they are in. How can I imagine, especially speaking to Alex [Zinchenko], how it affects that situation, not only to yourself but for the whole country, your families, the whole environment. The incredible attitude that they are having towards the situation and again the things that they have to put in place to be able to continue to play football matches at this level and compete in the way they do. It's remarkable and we welcome them here tomorrow in the best possible way.

Are you planning to appeal the William Saliba red card?

I leave that more to the club to understand the circumstances and other examples that are very clear in the same position and they will have to decide it.

How important is football in the world when you see what Shakhtar are going through?

Clearly not, especially when you compare it with the situation that they are in. But as well I think they have decided to use football with a lot of positive things that brings to life in a really powerful way. I think it's remarkable the way they have managed the situation and the unity of the country and the capacity of sport to bring joy to people's lives. That's something that we have to be very conscious of.

How important is tomorrow for you to go and win another football match and get another unbeaten 17 game, six month unbeaten run on track?

Yes, we have to start tomorrow obviously. The desire is there, we want to play these kind of matches and we know and the atmosphere is going to be terrific tomorrow night. So let's produce that and end the right to win the game.

You mentioned the discipline a couple of times and now you can't play football matches and win football matches with 10 men. Are you going to have to ask the team to change the way they play?

Well I think for example what happened in those three cases has nothing to do with aggression in my opinion. But yeah, everybody has got his own opinion. We want to be super competitive when we are and we show that it's great. When you show it and it doesn't go your way and you lose, it's something else, it's part of the judgement.

Is Jurrien Timber close to playing tomorrow and if not tomorrow do you think he will be back to Liverpool again?

I think he's going to be close obviously. We have to see how he deals with training with the whole group because he hasn't done that yet but he will be pretty close hopefully.

Is it something to do with the knee injury before or is it something different?

No, it was a muscular injury.

How hard is it to avoid over-exposing Ethan Nwaneri as a 17-year-old?

I think it's identifying moments, understanding where he is, where the team is and what is the optimal moment to throw a player in that context. He's already done a lot in a very short period of time. So let's take it step by step and make sure those steps are consistent and can allow him to grow in the manner and form that we want him in the team.

You changed your midfield set up on Saturday. How do you think it was going before the red card?

Well it was different. obviously because Leo has been playing more centrally but Gabi obviously he had a calf issue with the national team and he came back and he wasn't fit enough to start the match, especially what happened last year when a similar circumstance happened and we lost him for five or six weeks and we didn't want to do that. so we had to adapt that and we had to adapt that as well in midfield. There are options.

It's very difficult to have a proper assessment because I expected the first 15-20 minutes of Bournemouth away to be in a certain way, that I planned to and we had to let the brownie settle a little bit to see a little bit more things. But yeah, there are different and new connections that obviously with injuries we have to try.

It's like the first time we played Leo and Kai. I heard a lot of things that we played 4-4-2 and this connection and then it was flowing and it was magnificent. So things need time in terms of unit connections and probably yesterday or the other day's game is not the best one to analyse and take a lot of things from it.

How has [Zinchenko's] role changed now? There's obviously so much competition for places in the full-back position and he was so important when he first came in.

Yeah hopefully a big one. Obviously we need him fit. You know availability is a big factor to maintain consistency and obviously last year we had quite a lot of issues with that and the start of the season again. Hopefully he's now fit and we can start to use him. He's going to start to impact the team in a manner that he can which is really powerful as well and that's what we're hoping.

I know you spoke about Jack Wilshere a little bit last week. but I was just wondering, I think he was joining the older coaching staff in the September international break when there was I guess fewer international players around. I was wondering in that men's coaching setting what you might have saw from him? Did you see anything you'd like from him?

Well obviously that's a collaboration that we had. The same with Mehmet every time that we are dealing with a lot of academy players and he was involved. He's been great in everything. In terms of supporting the first team, in terms of bringing ideas, in terms of collaborating with anything that we wanted. I know him. We played together. We have a good relationship and yeah that's it.

In terms of coaching first team players and academy players, is the skill set a little bit different? What you might need to give to an 18-year-old compared to a 25, 26, 27-year-old?

Yeah, but every player is different at the end and every nationality and the education and culture that each of them have is different. But Jack is very experienced because he's played in the game for such a long time. So you have to have that skill as well to connect with your teammates and with your coaches. They are all different, different ages, different backgrounds, different nationalities and I think that's a big strength of him.