Every word from Mikel Arteta’s pre-United presser

Before our game against Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Mikel Arteta faced the media at London Colney to preview the game.

The boss was asked about transfers, Eddie Nketiah’s England call up, Manchester United, the Champions League draw, tactical changes and more.

Here is everything he had to say:

On Flo, Nuno and Kieran leaving the club…

We’re working together to find the best possible solutions and we found them. I think the players are happy and the club did some good business as well.

On Balogun’s transfer…

We didn’t have space for him in the squad to give him the minutes that he needs. He was doing well last year in his loan period. He’s evolving the right way and wanted the chance to continue developing his career. He’s going to a really good club that has huge experience of developing talent, as everybody knows. So I’m really happy for him as well.

On whether he is excited about transfer deadline day…

For me it will be serene. I don’t have to do much more work. We’re trying to finalise a few things.

On Eddie Nketiah’s England call up…

I’m so pleased. If someone deserves to be in the England squad, that’s him. An academy player that had some moments when his pathway wasn’t very clear and he had to fight. I love his mentality, his work rate, how much he loves the game, and how hard he’s fought to be recognised at that level. In this country, to play there is phenomenal. I’m so happy for him.

On whether he takes personal pride on that…

Everybody that has been involved in his development feels extremely proud to be on that journey with him. Everyone that has been at the academy with him and been on that journey, his family, everyone is proud of him so it’s a really nice moment for him.

On putting down a marker against Manchester United…

We know the history between the two clubs and the games that we had in the past. They were a really good example so it’s going to be a really competitive match and a big battle on Sunday. Obviously we want to come away from that with three points.

On this game being an early indicator of title credentials…

I don’t know. I think it’s too early in the season. We all want to win games, we all want to play the best possibly way. That’s not going to dictate but it gives you momentum and belief. Before the international break, it’s very important to finish well and win your game and go into September with another block of games on a high.

On why it’s a high scoring fixture against Manchester United…

Well, first of all the quality of the players, there are a lot of top offensive players in the two teams and it is probably the approach of both teams, the way we want to play, there were some errors involved which hopefully we can eradicate as well, normally it's a very entertaining fixture.

On whether last season has raised the expectation levels…

It has raised the level of every single thing that we do every year, and we have to demand more of each other to be better and when you see the reaction when you draw a match, I think it's a great indicator of where you want to be and the levels that you put to yourself.

On how happy he is with our performances this season…

Really happy, I said against Fulham, and I have watched the game twice, then we played ten times better, six or ten, but we definitely played much better, but it's all about results. One thing is to play really well, the other thing is to compete really well and what we didn't do when we had to compete in certain moments, is the best possible way to do that. We played ten times better, I reaffirm that to you again.

On tactical changes this season…

I think we discuss formations in a different way. In the other game, there were 36 different formations in the match, against Manchester City there were 43, so I don't know what formation you're talking about. For me, it's something very different.

On why he's changed the defence this season…

The personnel is different. We played differently against Manchester City and there were 43 different structures in different phases. Every morning I come from my house to Colney, sometimes I leave at six and I need to wipe the windscreen because it's icy and at six o'clock normally I go down one road because it's faster, now it's 20 miles an hour, so sometimes I take a back road and then I go on the M25, but depending on if it's a school ride, then I take one exit, if it's after seven o'clock I take a different exit. One day I have a flat tyre and what do you do? You have to replace it and take a different road because the garage is there, so every game is a different story.

On if he's tempted to use the same team as last season…

I cannot do that, I have different players. Zinchenko was injured, Granit is not here, so how can I do that? Unless I bring them back. I don't think it's going to happen. It's going to be different because it's a different season and that's the beauty of the thing that I enjoy the most, that it's new and we can do much, much better on a lot of things.

On whether Zinchenko will be involved on Sunday…

He is a really important player, but so is Jurrien. What he was giving us in those first few games was incredible. But he’s not there, so we have to do something else. And if we have another injury, we have to do something else. And if Bukayo is not there, we will have something else. So the M25 won’t be good enough, maybe we take another route. But if I speak to a taxi driver who has learnt the whole of London for 20 years, I know nothing compared to him because he will tell me all the streets and options there are.

On whether he is surprised that Ben White is not in the England squad…

Ben has been incredible since the start of the season again. We know that he was there and what happened is totally down to Gareth Southgate and him to make that decision. But he certainly has the level and he’s shown that for the last few years.

On Emile Smith Rowe’s future…

He has a role like everybody else does, which is to give his best to make the team better.

On the Champions League draw…

First of all it was great to see it. I was there with my kids, they were betting on it and it was great fun. It’s what it is, we don’t have any say on it, but there are some beautiful games to play, some very difficult matches as well, and we are looking forward to starting the journey.

On whether it makes him more excited for the competition…

For sure, we were waiting for it, to understand who we are playing and once we get the pictures and dates, we can preparing for those games.

On whether Arsenal can win it this season…

Well we are participating so we have a chance! But let’s start with the first game and see where we get.

On why he didn't go into the market after Jurrien Timber's injury…

Well, we've done quite a lot and obviously we have a lot of uncertainty over a lot of players as well, so we have to be very cautious and find alternatives and ways. Sometimes you want to do everything that is needed, but sometimes it's not possible and we have to adapt.

On if players had to leave before we could bring in more…

Yes, but then we could go and buy another three players, and somebody gets injured long term, it's just not possible.

On Rasmus Hojlund…

I prefer not to speak about players, he's a huge talent, and everybody is talking really highly of him and he will have to prove that in this league.

On whether not knowing if Hojlund will play makes Manchester United more unpredictable…

Like any other club, they will try to get their squad at the highest level and have all the different qualities that they need to challenge for all the trophies, and I'm sure that's what they're trying to do.

On the decision he has to make with his striker selection now Nketiah has been called up for England…

No, I don't see it that way, I just see pride there and it's something that has happened for a reason, the way he pushes everybody, the way he pushes himself every single day to be as best as he possibly can, and that's the headache he gives us every single day. I said it when we played against Man City that he did it, I'm sure he's done it with everyone he's been with, under-18s, under-19s, under-21s, under-23s, he's going to be doing the same with every team.

On any conversations with Emile Smith Rowe…

Obviously, I have conversations with him and it's important for him to understand where he is. It was always going to be tricky in the first three or four weeks, not just for us, but for all of the clubs when you see all of the rumours about all of the players that are not playing and are unhappy, not only in this country, but in every country because it's one game per week, for a month and everybody has started the new season with huge aspirations and there's not minutes for everybody, but September will be very different.

On whether all players can play multiple formations…

Every player has to do it, unconsciously it's possible, but every player has to do it. Some of them do it consciously, unconsciously, provoking the right thing, making the right decision and others they just do it naturally and they are in the wrong position a lot. That happens in the game, that's a fact.

On whether that’s a new thing in football…

It depends a lot on the opposition. Against Man City there were more because they changed formation more, so there's a lot of sequences of play that permitted more structures, so it's different.