Every word Mikel Arteta said on Odegaard injury, Forest win, Madueke display and Gyokeres goal

Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, addressed the media after win over Nottingham Forest (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta faced the media following the comfortable victory over Nottingham Forest in which his side scored three well-worked goals and dominated on Ange Postecoglou's return to the Premier League. Two goals from Martin Zubimendi and a Viktor Gyokeres tap-in did the damage on the day.

However, a blow came in the form of Martin Odegaard's premature exit from the game. This was the second time in two home matches that he was unable to reach the half-time whistle due to injury. Thankfully, his side rallied in his stead and got the job done.

The victory comes at the start of a tough week for the Gunners where a trip to Bilbao precedes the visit of Manchester City to North London. Arteta was delighted however to kick this tough period off in the perfect way after a long international break.

Here is every word from the press conference as Arteta faced the media:

Talk to us about that Zubimendi goal, is that something you've been teaching him on the training pitch?

Certainly not. Zero credit for that incredible execution, the timing, the way he connects with the ball, and the way the ball travels in that trajectory.

Certainly, he's given us a lot of positive things. His presence, his authority on the pitch, the way he connects with the players and the composure that he's had. If he starts to attack and goes like this, then it's another dimension of a player.

What did you make of Eze on his full debut for the club?

The new ones that they started, five of them today, I'm really impressed with them. I think you can sense and feel that there are new relationships flourishing there that are going to give us different things. To become more unpredictable, Noni, I think he was exceptional as well.

So we play a front three that we've never played before. Good exposure of them, in terms of the timings as well, exactly what they needed because they played a lot of minutes. And overall very happy.

Considering the players you had out today, and then obviously losing Martin early on, and then to play like that still, does that show the squad depth that you've worked on all summer to get? Is it actually thriving already?

Yeah, because if we wouldn't have done that, and as you said, with the injuries that we have, unfortunately some of them are very difficult to control, we would have been in a very different place. We knew that that was the standard, that's the standard of the other teams in the league in Europe, and you can see that. I'm very happy because it gives us options, it gives us the capacity as well to change games, it gives the capacity to have presence in the team, and now we have to make sure that everybody feels connected and important.

Just check on Martin, presumably it's a shoulder injury?

Yeah, very similar. I don't know if it's exactly the same place, but very similar injury. He wasn't comfortable to continue, he's played two games with Norway, unfortunately he cannot carry on today. So we have to assess him with the doctors and see, but I'm sure he will try his best to be fit for Tuesday.

Just on Martin, because it's a very similar injury and it happened, and he was fine, and it's happened again, do you think you may have to go down a similar route to what you did with Kai in terms of just having an operation, getting it sorted, because he couldn’t carry on with the shoulder?

No, I don't think that. Well, I'm not the experts, but they weren't concerned at that level at all. The last time in a few days he was able to manage the pain, especially since it wasn't that the injury was that bad. I don't know the extent of two days, but hopefully, hopefully not.

It's quite rare to see Declan [Rice] not starting for Arsenal, but is it that it's quite nice, did he need that rest and do you need to do that more over the next couple of days?

Yes, as well, because Mikel [Merino] comes after scoring four goals in two games with a really high emotional state. I want to use that, when a player is in that moment, I want to play him, because it's going to bring something different with the qualities that they have. Declan comes in and he will have an impact immediately, he'll play the next game and that's what we need to try to manage the best possible way.

Can I just ask how you felt Ethan did in place of Martin? Because obviously throughout pre-season I think you've played in that position quite often, so how have you seen him kind of develop in that role over the past few months?

Very good, different qualities, and you can sense, especially in the first half, when he got the ball in certain areas, how comfortable he is to carry the ball straight away.

At the moment, he's very close to the ball; he's got one thing in his mind, which is the goal and nothing else. That's great that we have different qualities within the same position, and again against Leeds, I think it was the same thing. After 20 minutes, we had to get Martin out; he came on and did very well.

And how's Saliba doing? He missed his training yesterday?

He trained yesterday and he did the whole session and he was OK. I spoke to him afterwards, and he said I think I need a few more days. The turnaround has been too quick for the extent of the injury, so when a player says that, don't push it. And I think Mosquera was very, very good.

How hard could he be pushing Saliba and Gabriel, Mosquera?

You've just seen today and what he did in Anfield, very, very hard he's going to push them and this kid wants it a lot, and he's so willing to learn. He's got already some great qualities that fit very well any position that we want to use him in relation to the connections and the qualities of the other defenders. So, we'll see.

And with so many defenders now, especially ones that are obviously pushing to start, how do you balance that? Because they obviously all want to play every week, so how do you balance that?

Well, we need two players per position. This is football, nothing different. When you see the qualities that they have, it's nothing new. We just perform, be available as much as possible because we're going to need them and in relation to the opponent, what we want to create, we'll use certain players, certain qualities.

You mentioned the high emotional state there for Merino, but all of the new players, or almost all of them, felt like they had a big moment. How important is that in terms of getting something like that this early? Even Eze today with the pass after Martin's goal.

That's very positive because as well, some of the players that we decided to come off, when you see the reception and the connection they've been with our supporters already, that's exactly what you need because that's going to help you. It gives confidence, it gives you more ambition, I think, to do better. And they're all in a good place, I think.

And just on the depth, is that a specific response to what the Champions League is now, that you basically have a parallel league season?

Yeah, and obviously the amount of games that the players have to play. They have to play 70 or 74 games throughout the season. It's never been done. When the intensity was that high, they are not going to be able to sustain that. So you need more players, the standards have raised, we need better players and there's no secret.

You talked before the game about the perception of your side, how they approach the Liverpool game. Obviously you talk about that game and this game, two opposite results. Do you see a difference at all in how you approach both games and the intent to win both games?

No, they're the same. Hopefully you were in the preparation for the game in my meetings.

You mentioned Noni earlier. Could you reflect on what it is he's brought to the squad that's a bit different? It seems like when he gets the ball, he just goes.

Yeah, a lot of courage, that's how I describe it. Obviously, a lot of quality, but a lot of courage. We were about to sign him and there was that reaction around him. I spoke to him and he was like, 'pzzzt, I go for it, I can't wait to put that shirt on and play for you guys'. I said, 'well, let's bring him'.

If I was convinced before, I'm more convinced now that he's going to do it. And yeah, I think he has such a power, such a capacity to repeat efforts. Because to be able to do that physically, you have to have a different specimen, I think. And he's certainly that. But he's very skilful, very unpredictable, so willing to learn.

And he brings joy. I look at him and he's always smiling, he's always trying things. He gets one wrong, he goes again. And that's what I love about the creative players, because you need that to be successful.

So that's eight goals at home in two games, and you only conceded one goal in the four games so far. Do you think that, obviously, you lost to Liverpool, but do you think that Arsenal have already sort of moved on to a new level this year? And what you're seeing and what sort of message are Arsenal sending out in terms of the title?

That's what we hope. But we need to go game by game. It doesn't matter what we want to do, what we have to do. It's not what we have to now, work today, again, review.

There are things that we have to get better at to be able to score even more and be more dominant in certain phases of the game. And go game by game. And I'm prepared to win in Bilbao, which is going to be incredible. I hope you all go because it's one of the best places to go. I'm also from Spain, that's where I'm from. I think you're going to enjoy it, guys. And an incredible stadium atmosphere to play football.

Mikel, just on some of the new signings, obviously you signed them to make an immediate impact, but did you expect them to sort of settle as quickly as they have? Because they have gelled.

Yeah, well, I have no question in terms of what we want. I think dressing room and feeling part of that, or the support that we're going to have from our people, no question. But then things have to click and go well for you in the first instances. But we have to try to create the right environment for them and the quality is there. But I'm very glad that's so early already. You can see that, wow, they're going to add so much value to the team.