The top five updates Mikel Arteta gave in the Arsenal boss’ press conference ahead of visiting Wolves on Saturday as he discussed the fitness of Bukayo Saka and more.
Molineux awaits Arsenal this weekend as Wolves play host to Arteta and his Premier League title-chasing side. The Gunners only have the top-flight to focus on now after crashing out of the Champions League. But Arsenal rely on results elsewhere for their first title in 20 years.
A 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa last Sunday left Arsenal sat two points behind three-time reigning champions, Manchester City. A 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich also put a stop to their dreams of European success on Wednesday after losing the quarter-final 3-2 on aggregate.
Arsenal returned to London Colney to train this Friday and also assess the fitness of Saka for the trip to Wolves. The 22-year-old sustained a knock against Aston Villa and also struggled at Der FCB. Captain Martin Odegaard also got a knock in Bavaria to trigger fitness concerns.
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So, with that in mind, here are the top five talking points from Arteta’s press conference for Arsenal’s trip to Wolves in the Premier League for match 33 of their 2023/24 title challenge.
Mikel Arteta confirms that Arsenal will take a fully fit squad to Wolves bar Jurrien Timber
“It’s too soon,” Arteta said about Jurrien Timber returning from an ACL injury. “He’s gonna play a game with the 21s and after that we will see better. He looks really good in training but it’s that last big step. Everyone else is all good.”
Mikel Arteta reacts to opponents targeting Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard
“I think they are constantly targeted,” Arteta said about Saka and Odegaard. “We always try to find ways to prepare [for] the game in the best way to help them. This journey won’t stop.”
Mikel Arteta sees returning to the top of the Premier League table as clear motivation
“The context is clear,” Arteta said about Arsenal’s trip to Wolves with Manchester City facing Chelsea in the FA Cup. “If we win, we are top of the league. If you need anything else to be motivated and if you need anything else to keep your mind clear you have a problem.”
Mikel Arteta reacts to the FA Cup scrapping replays from the first round in 2024/25
Arteta said on The FA scrapping all FA Cup replays from the first round onwards from the 2024/25 season: “We can’t look at that in an isolated way but with the calendar that we have with the players. I think it’s a very good possibility.”
Mikel Arteta explains why Arsenal have tended to collapse in April
“A lot of the time it’s because the margins that we are competing with are decided in May,” Arteta said after Arsenal also collapsed in the 2021/22 Champions League qualification race and 2022/23 Premier League title race. “Before that, you have to be extremely consistent.”
