How did you spend your birthday?
I spent it with my family. I went back home town San Sebastian. I had all the family there so it was a really good way of spending it.
What was your wish?
It’s a secret. You can imagine it, but it’s a secret.
How's Saliba progressing?
He is progressing, unfortunately he still has some discomfort in his back. We are trying to manage him in the best possible way. Unfortunately he’s not gonna be fit for this game and we’re trying and he’s trying to do everything to feel better and get back training. But not yet.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta offers hope for William Saliba injury return for Arsenal Premier League title push
There’s some stories that it could be the whole season he’s out for. Are you hopeful he’ll back before then?
Yeah, I am very hopeful and he is as well. Back injuries are a bit tricky and how they evolve with the load that you put in certain areas. He’s very positive and the medical staff are positive about it.
Let’s push it every day and see how he copes with that and how the pain develops as well. He’s so willing to be back in the team.
Is Partey OK and why did you send a physio out to Ghana with him?
Yes, it’s something that we’ve done in the past as well. We have a really good relationship with the Ghanaian federation and we have to manage and look after our players.
They’ve been really positive about it as well. We have to manage our players. It works both ways. He obviously wasn’t fit enough to play the second game but hopefully he’ll be back for the weekend.
Was your heart in your mouth when Rodri went in on Odegaard?
These things happen in football when they play against each other. The rest of them are all good.
Was the thing you were most pleased with last month how you overcame the blip before?
For sure. We needed results and performances. We got them in various ways. Some games we had to react and push ourselves to the limit, in others we were really dominant and won the game with a bigger gap. So we have to continue to do that. Every single day we have to try to play better and against Leeds that will have to be the case.
What was your moment of the month?
Probably Reiss’ goal in that moment, that celebration and that hype that we had in that moment. I’m especially pleased with the consistency the boys are showing every single day. The way they train, the way they behave to have that hunger to keep winning and winning and winning.
How does this group compare in terms of the unity of the dressing room to the ones you played in?
I wouldn’t like to compare it honestly. I’m extremely proud and happy to have developed the players and staff that we have together and it’s a joy to work with them every day and just push every boundary and every limit.
Enjoy the challenge that we have ahead of us. It’s the most beautiful part of the season and we need to enjoy every day, every second of it. This is what we need to talk about every single day.
Taking inspiration from tight dressing rooms?
Probably it is the one I was in at 15, in Barcelona and we had 13, 14, 15 year-old boys and some of them went on to be incredible players. We had to look after each other, we lived together as well, had our issues, our own hobbies and our own way of being, that was phenomenal and probably the biggest learning curve in my career.
Leeds are fighting relegation. What are the challenges of that?
Leeds have very particular DNA, how they behave, the character and the passion and energy they play with, they have been doing it for a long time, now with a new manager and new ideas, and player back from injuries they are a very dangerous team, we have discussed that openly and we are going to have be very good to beat them.
How is Javi Gracia doing?
Really good, I know him as a player because he used to play in my home-town really really well. He is a good coach, really, really dedicated, thoughtful and really clear in the way his team wants to play, he can carry it as well, he is very adaptable and has coached so many teams already at his age, that shows the quality he has.
Is Jesus back to 100%
He is very close to that, in the last 10 days he has really made a big step forward, you can see that he is looser and not thinking about it, he is creating the chaos in training that he is capable of, he is in a really good place now.
You were at the women's game this week. What did you make of it?
It was beautiful, it was great to have the experience to live it there and the crowd that we had in the game, especially the way they played, in the first half it was a real joy to watch.
It is a big achievement, it hasn't happened for many, many years at the club and we have to catch them up. This is the beauty of it, getting things inside the club that are inspiring for each other and can make us closer and better.
What do you put Saka's consistency down to
First of all his mentality, there has been a shift there. How much he wants it, what he does every single day and then obliviously the maturity, the acknowledge of what to do in every situation, his decision making is getting better and better, he is deciding football matches more and more often and he has good team-mates at Arsenal and England and that is an important thing to have when you play in attacking positions.
Is the international break an opportunity to reflect or could have done without?
We had time to work some days, we had time to analyse and reflect on what we are doing and how we are going to approach the final push of the season. And then as well some time to fill your heart with loved ones. Spending some time with them gives you a different type of energy that is very needed. It was really good.
Leeds fighting to survive make it tougher?
They want the points as much as us but hopefully we want them more than them and we can show that on Saturday. It’s a team that has its needs and they are playing at a really good level. They got a really good result in the last game and we are going to have to earn the right to win the game.
How to manage alterations to the team after consistency of selection for so long?
We try to adapt the qualities of the players to get the best out of the team, it’s as simple as that. In every phase we try to get them in the most comfortable position that they can deliver their best for the team. Rob has huge experience already at the club and in the Premier League. He proved that in the right way the last game.
If City drop point before you play the lead could become double figures. Will the players watch the game?
Our focus is on what we can control every single day. We love to watch football games and if there is a part we can watch will like every other manager and team as it will be a great game to watch. There is still a little gap between the teams but when we get to our game the focus is on that and everyone is switched on to what we are going to do.
Was Saliba injury one he had been managing or fresh?
We don’t know if it happened the previous game as he had a very awkward landing against Fulham but before that he was fine.
Why don’t you know the extent of the injury?
Maybe it’s more for the doctors to answer but it is more specifically about the load we put on that area and how he can cope with that. What kind of pain he can handle and what are the risks that can make it worse?
Do you have any advice for Balogun on international decision?
To focus on today and continue to do what he has been doing because has been phenomenal, so keep doing what you’re doing and don’t think about anything else. The rest of the things will come naturally. I would try to do what he has been doing as it has been working really well for him and the team.
How much do you know about David Rocastle?
I was pretty young when he was at the club but you see picture and paintings and you meet a lot of people who have come across him. A huge character and a very charismatic person who was very much loved at the club. So it’s great that players and clubs are remembering that day and feel like it is something special.
Do you need to manage Saliba's injury?
I want to be positive, I think that he will be able to do that. But I don’t know, I don’t have the answer today to answer 100% what it is that is going to be the case.
Are there any players in better form than Saka?
I don’t know. We try to assess the players we have. He is in exceptional form, he is full of confidence and physically in the right condition and he is providing to the team exactly what he needs. So he needs to continue to do that.
There are young players who fluctuate but is Saka's consistency a surprise?
Yes I think that is getting better and better and there are lot of things that he is doing to maintain the consistency. His habit. Every single day what he does. How he talks to himself. How he allows people to give him advice in the right moment, how he pushes himself, the people around him, they are very important factors for someone to be that consistent every day.
What did you make of Frida Maanum's goal?
Beautiful. The moment the ball left her feet we knew it was going in. It is just a beautiful finish.
Saka – are you comfortable with the number of mins he played for England? Do you speak to managers about managing the minutes?
The players that are fit have to be ready to play international level and they had two very important games and 'B' is becoming more and more important there and you have to fulfil your role. Your role gets bigger and you have to be able to fulfil your role and that is what he did.
In the game is on the line in last 30 mins do the fans need to trust with the process?
To live the day. Enjoy the day. To push on the day. To give us all the energy they have on the day. The rest will come in the next game and the next day. That is what we are going to do. Give a real push to be at our best. With their help and support we are much better as a team. That is all we are asking for and that is no different to what they have done the whole season.
Will the fans be impatient?
What we do today, our message is to them what we perceive from them every day, it is not only what we eat, it is what we read, what the players read, all those positive messages and all that feeling of support and energy and enthusiasm for the day to come and enjoy what is coming that is the most beautiful thing to do.
And that gives you energy and fills your desire to play in front of them. Once we are on the 96 mins to play for that they really stand out and really behind the team to inspire them.
Is surgery one of the options for Saliba?
Hopefully that we get the right load for him, the right amount of rest that he needs while we’re keeping him active. And the pain starts to go away and we are more comfortable with the images we have of him that we can start to take him to the pitch and do certain activities with him. That’s it.
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