Arteta provides updates on Zinchenko, Martinelli | News

Before we host PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium tomorrow evening – which is a 6pm kick-off – Mikel Arteta held his pre-match press conference at London Colney.

The boss tackled numerous topics thrown at him by the gathered media, including injury news, our opponents, the return of Ruud van Nistelrooy to north London and managerial touchline behaviour.

Here is everything he had to say:

on Zinchenko and Martinelli being ruled out:
No, they are not ruled out, but we will see tomorrow what we decide.
 
on how important it is to win the group:
Really important. In Europe when you have the chance to take advantage you have to do it. It’s always very unpredictable what can happen in the next game. You have to go away and we know the level of the other teams as well. What I can say watching them [PSV] and what they are doing domestically, internationally, [it will be] a really tough match.
 
on whether the Man City game being postponed is beneficial:
I don’t know, it is what it is. Obviously the fixtures and the amount of games that we have, at the end of the day we’re going to have to play with everybody and we have this schedule and we’ve adapted to it.
 
on whether Ruud van Nistelrooy will get a hot reception:
I don’t know, obviously it’s a long way back. I wasn’t involved at the club at the time. You can tell the history of these two clubs and the rivalry that was generated at the time because they are two exceptional teams, but I don’t know.
 
on whether managers have a responsibility to set an example with their behaviour:
We do have a responsibility, not only with the referees as well but with the game. We want to get this game played and respected. Obviously to talk about any managers, I have enough just looking after my own behaviour and trying to do the right things for our club.

But yes it is very intense, you get heated, there are moments like in the last few games. You’ve seen many, many incidents when VAR has to step in and there is a lot of controversy and a lot of moments where the result is in the air. It depends on a decision and it’s not easy to manage, but of course, we have a huge responsibility.
 
on whether he thinks he has ever let himself down:
Well if I have to watch myself on the camera after a match then there are probably things I would do differently. But when you are there in the heat and the way you talk even to your own players, a lot of time you would do it differently. It’s something that we have to learn, I think we are all conscious of it but the heat of the game takes you to behave in certain ways.
 
on whether he liked the rivalry that Arsenal had with van Nistelrooy’s Manchester United side:
Where we want to be is at the top and being the best team in the country. In order to do that, you are going to face teams that want to beat you, and is going to build that rivalry to a different level. We have already experienced things like that.
 
on whether the managers’ reactions on the touchline…