We travel to Mansfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, March 7, and before the contest at Field Mill, Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the press.
Having knocked out Portsmouth and Wigan, we now face the League One outfit, aiming to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in six years.
Here’s everything Mikel said about the match:
on being favourites for the game:
Yes, but I think I’ve been in this country long enough to understand that being favourites doesn’t mean anything when it comes to that competition. At that time of the day, in that ground, I know that they’re going to have the belief, the hope, the conviction that they can beat us, and we need to be very well prepared.
on motivating players for the game:
We have played very similar games now in other competitions or in the FA Cup as well, so we are very well aware of what the game is going to demand, so from (Thursday), we will prepare for that.
on Mansfield’s pitch:
It’s normal. It’s the beauty of this competition as well. You have to go there, you have to adapt. Since I was little, we’ve all been playing in those stadiums or worse, so you need to adapt to that context and make the most out of it.
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on dealing with FA Cup upsets as a player:
I don’t want to put that negativity on it. We’ve been knocked out a few times in a difficult way, and it’s a terrible feeling. It feels like it damages your reputation. So, you don’t want to go through that. In order not to go through that, you have to prepare so well and compete so well.
on if losing in the FA Cup can damage confidence in other competitions:
It can, but hopefully we’re going to do what we have to do and try to earn the right to win the game.
on Nigel Clough and his father Brian:
I will read much more. I’m very interested when I read the reports to understand the history, the tradition, the values that they have, to understand as well better what they will try to do.
on Max Dowman has learned in his recovery from injury:
A lot. First of all, you miss playing, that’s the first thing, so don’t take it for granted because it can be taken away from you when you don’t expect it, and for a long time as well. He had different routines, he starts to understand more the rehab coaches, the physio, the doctor, the importance of the scan, the discipline that you need to maintain yourself fit when you have an injury because if not, it’s going to take a long time to get back to your levels. But he’s done so well. He’s been looking really good in training and hopefully we can give him chances to play.
on the volume of games in all competitions, and prioritising particular competitions:
Well, we are doing that in certain moments and trying to use the rotations in the right way. But you need players available, and at the start of the season we had a lot of issues in the front line, then in the back line, now in the middle with players with a lot of issues as well. So it becomes complicated, that’s what I said that certain players are already much higher than they were last season, and we are early in March.
on if the early kick-off presents a problem:
It is what it is, we know that. I’ve been here long enough, it’s nothing to do with us.
on if the pitch condition affects team selection:
It can do, especially if there is a player that is carrying some injuries that the pitch can affect him in the wrong way, especially certain muscles, but hopefully we’re going to have the ones that we need fit and available.
on if Saliba’s ankle injury was the same ankle as before:
No, it’s the other one. We saw after the game he wasn’t comfortable to finish the game and after that, straight away, he didn’t have a good feeling. So let’s see if he recovers quickly.
on his availability for Mansfield:
I doubt it.
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