*DISCLAIMER* THIS PRESS CONFERENCE WAS CONDUCTED AFTER SATURDAY'S WIN OVER FULHAM. SOME OF THE INFORMATION IN IT MAY NOW BE OUT OF DATE.
With Odegaard and his calmness, is that something you can teach?
At 23, he has already had a lot of experience and a lot of pressure, especially individually. He's played for Madrid and knows what it's about. He does it all natural. Nothing worries him, and he's developing that even more.
Have you seen a change in him since he got the armband?
He's more humble, I would say - even more.
Is that what you ask of him?
No, but that's the way he is. More humble and more hungry, a good combination.
READ MORE: Tomiyasu recall, Saka rested, Nketiah reward and new formation - Arsenal changes vs Aston Villa
Has Zinchenko got a future as a midfielder rather than a fullback?
It's one of the options. We can use him in midfield, as an attacking midfielder, as a holding midfielder. Of course, it's an option. He's played there as well, so it's great to have players who can give us that versatility.
What have you been most pleased about this season, and what do you need to improve?
The pleasing things are the rights and performances. We still need to improve a lot. There is still room for a lot, individually and collectively, in areas we have to do, and we know what that is.
Eddie seemed to change the game when he came on. What was your thinking behind bringing him on?
He is a threat that we see every single day in training. You ask him to play, and immediately the boy is ready. He has no fear. He's all confidence, he's all power, he's all qualities, and the boys really believe in him. So the moment that happens, he wants to get involved in the game. It's true we changed the formation to play in a different way that I believe suits and gets the players in better connection and spaces to interact with each other. He was very useful today.
The last game against Villa was a rough, physical one. How much will Fulham being rough also help?
I was watching the Premier League teams and how physical they are. It's a battle for everyone, and we won't expect anything different from Villa. They are a top team with a big squad, top quality players and a good manager. We expect a difficult game here.
How are Partey and Zinchenko? Could they play on Wednesday?
I don't think so. We still have to make another scan, especially on Thomas, to see the length. But I don't think they will be available.
Long-term or short-term?
Let's see. I cannot tell you yet.
Is it a similar injury to last year for Partey?
Similar area, hopefully not as bad.
What are your general thoughts on Villa, and how will you try to beat them?
I will start to analyse them tonight. We have played each other, they have not changed that much. We need to prepare as well as possible. But they are a really physical team, a lot of presence and very good and dangerous in the box. It will be tough.
If it's five wins in a row, people will really start talking about Arsenal's chances of doing something, won't they?
I don't know. We just train on Monday and be ready for Wednesday. What else can we do?
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