Mikel Arteta has issued an update after Arsenal suffered not one but two injuries in the post-match warm-up following Saturday’s defeat of Leeds.
Both Piero Hincapie and Martin Zubimendi are undergoing tests with ankle problems that will see them sidelined for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Lille.
Footage circulating online actually showed Hinjapi being carried on the back of goalkeeper Illan Meslier, which Arteta didn’t like very much.
We present the full transcript from the press conference of the Spaniard.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! All the latest Gunners news, analysis and more via our dedicated Facebook page
Team news, Hincapie injury?
“Well, that’s what happened, we had scheduled training for the players after the game, they didn’t have enough minutes on Sunday to corner everyone and get everyone into the right rhythm. And we lost two players in two very unfortunate moves.”
Is there a timeline for his and Martin Zubimendi’s return?
“We need to assess them today, scan them again to see where they are and they’ll confirm that. And then if we’re just looking at the weekend, you might have a few days to assess.”
Thoughts on facing Lille, turning the game against Leeds?
“Well, again, a lot of positives from the game, obviously the way we reacted, how we managed to turn the game around in a very difficult context. Really impressive, the way we started the game really well and the amount of movement we finished in the final third, something that really needs to be improved, the way we defended the box, of course. So, yeah, I’m very happy with the result overall.”
Feel how the offensive flow is going?
“I think it’s going pretty well. I think our completion of moves is probably another thing, but in terms of the products we’ve had before the international break, I think it’s been better than any other year. Then we had the Brighton game, then the other game was in a different context, but I think we’re certainly getting into some great, great positions, now we’ve got to be more clinical.”
Eberechi Eze has only started twice, are you looking for more from him? How has his season been so far?
“Like everybody, I think they have to earn the right to play and that’s through training and when you’re on that pitch, making the impact the game and the team need to achieve that.
“We will have plenty of opportunities to do that, the attitude has always been phenomenal and we have to adapt to his qualities.”
With Hincapie and Zubimendi, even the little things can make a big difference, it’s not ideal to have two players injured during warm-ups.
“Far from ideal.”
What can be done to prevent this from happening again?
“It’s very easy, you don’t train. Never train and they don’t get injured, the result is that they have to play, they don’t have rhythm and when you ask them to play, it won’t have any effect on the game. That. [incident] It could happen at the Emirates, it’s never happened in the seven years I’ve been here, it could happen the next day in training and it’s happened before and hopefully it’s happening now and it won’t happen again. What can you do? If I knew I had a crystal ball, I’d say, ‘Get in the hot tub, y’all, see you tomorrow.'”
Is the image of Hinjapi being carried away by the assistant goalkeeper with trainers and medical staff around him disturbing?
“That’s another thing to discuss here.”
Your team doesn’t panic when they need to score, talk about that, is that a specific skill?
“I think we have to be emotionally dominant regardless of the context, it’s easy to say but it’s hard to actually do it. We’ve done it in most matches, which is great, we didn’t do it at Brighton, we paid for it, so yes, there’s always lessons and evolution for the team to do something, and it’s going to play a lot of important things every three days because it’s going to happen every three days.” and you have to be able to adapt and solve them.”
About Olivier Giroud
“Great, good, we were teammates, first of all, great character, great person to be with, then the players, I remember when he came he won a big win with Montpellier, he came here and he really affected the team in a very different way, a completely different profile to what we’re used to, and what a career he’s had and it’s definitely amazing.”
Like Kai Havertz, both underrated? Was it Olivier?
“Not for his teammates, exactly, or in this case, I don’t know about the rest, but he was extremely intelligent first and foremost and he was really, really a handful. Every time we had him on the pitch, we had a lot of power in the box. He was very intelligent, he was very good at linking other players up and his stopping was phenomenal for us.”
William Saliba, how long has he been out and how is his recovery going?
“It’s been over a week now, I think he’ll manage that load and how many reps and sessions he can do in a row, but he’s getting his ability up to a good standard now and let’s see over the next couple of weeks we can start introducing him to the team and see where we’re at to make him really available.”
After the November international break?
“I don’t know, we’re still talking about weeks and when that happens, it’s very different whether he plays before or after because it’s a very specific injury that he’s dealing with.”
Hincapie injures ankle and same for Zubimendi?
“Both ankles.”
What do you mean by emotional dominance?
“It’s about owning the moment and living in that moment and making sure we’re in the emotional state of the game and not something else. If the game requires a reaction, energy and spirit, courage, courage to deliver something else or change it, then we have to act like that. If the game requires everyone to turn the temperature down, we have to be able to do that to really understand it.”
You said that if any of the attackers are unhappy with the minutes, knock on the door, did Eze do that?
“He hasn’t. I think I’ve been very proactive in trying to talk to everybody, really engage and try to understand what we need from each of them, what the standards are, and if I can, tell them exactly when they’re going to play and when they’re not going to play. It’s been good so far, but we’ve got to be ready for that. They’ve been there to change games or affect the game, because at the end of the day, you’ve got to win who fits.”
Only on Max Dowman, can he play on the left?
“We haven’t seen Max a lot on the left. I think it’s probably easier right now, especially as we’ve improved him and trained him in those two positions. But with the talent he’s got, you’ve got to throw him into a new position. At some point he’ll have the ability to adapt.”
You talked about going belly-up in this weekend’s game. Still sick of the Champions League final?
“We will have to earn the right to be in that position again. We know how difficult it is and how many times we have done it in the history of our club. So understand that first. And tomorrow we have a really tough opponent. They are training very, very well, but Davide. [Ancelotti]is noteworthy. You can just see them competing and playing. And the problems they bring to big teams. Tomorrow will not be different and we are ready for it.
What do you think more about Bruno G scoring the winner, picking players from practice or winning games?
“Sometimes I’ll pick teams or players in the position I’m expecting, especially at the start I can’t finish the game because most games are decided at that level. We have a bench and players who can do that. And we’ll use that resource.”
Do you have a time frame on how long Zubimendi and Hincapie will be out?
“No, they’ll both miss tomorrow’s match, that’s for sure. They’ll have further tests today and probably tomorrow we’ll know more and then we’ll see how they go. Piero’s one looks a bit more serious I think, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
You mentioned that it’s not ideal for them to pick up injuries, would you reconsider not doing those warm ups after the game?
“Well, the temptation now is, oh, we don’t want to take that risk and we’re going to do something else. But we were going to do it the next day anyway. When you play small-sided games like this, there’s contact and things like that. They didn’t happen once last season and I did it 37 times. I think it’s the fact that it follows the team, but now it’s strengthening their team, but now it’s doing everything. It’s very difficult to do.
“My question was, if we had to do it again, the way we planned the seven days in that period, with players who weren’t loaded enough, would it be? The answer is yes and it’s a contact sport and it could happen.”
Thousands of Arsenal fans improved on match day last season. This is how they did it.
Various Prices
Seat Unique
Buy official packages at Seat Unique
Official premium experiences at the Emirates are now available for the 26/27 Premier League season. Make it easier than ever to turn an ordinary fixture into something truly memorable.