Arteta before the City clash: Guardiola is the best in history, and we are ready for the first title
Mikel Arteta has previewed Sunday's eagerly awaited Community Shield clash between his Arsenal side and Manchester City.
The Gunners qualified as reigning Premier League champions, while City earned their place by winning the FA Cup.
Arsenal have appeared in the Community Shield 24 times and won it on 17 occasions. City have featured 16 times, lifting the trophy on seven.
Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Arteta first addressed the fitness of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, as reported by the club's official website: "They are available. They will train with us today and tomorrow, and if they are in the condition we expect, they will play in the match."
On the injuries to Jurrien Timber and William Saliba, he said: "Jurrien is progressing very well, he is on the pitch and we are increasing the intensity of some of the training and physical work. He is on a good recovery path, but he is still a few weeks away from returning. We have to wait and assess, he needs to train with the group next week or so we hope, then we will see how he progresses. It was a long-term injury, and every step we take must be the right one. As for William, and as we all know, his injury is one of the long-term injuries."
The Spaniard then turned to the fixture itself and the season ahead: "It is a competition we earned the right to take part in because we were crowned Premier League champions last year. You can see how hungry and eager the players are, and that is a very positive sign."
He added: "I loved the way the players came back, most of them returned earlier than expected and in high physical condition, and we carried out all the tests and they all appear to be in excellent shape. The moment they started looking at each other, I said to them: look at the squad we have and what we are building. There is a great deal of enthusiasm."
His ambition for the opener was clear. "The best version of Arsenal must show up on Sunday, that is our intention; to deliver the best performance and the best way to open the season by lifting the first title. That is how we prepared for the season, to be at our maximum from day one."
Pressed on players heading for the exit, he was pragmatic: "So far, and with the numbers we have, I am happy. But we have to accept that there are some players who have to leave."
Martin Odegaard and Saka, he believes, have a point to prove after a difficult campaign: "In him and Bukayo I see something different. They faced some problems last year and were unable to provide the consistency and the levels they usually give the team. The team will benefit from them again, and I can see the strong desire in their eyes."
Soaring transfer fees have caught him off guard, too: "Yes, I was surprised. I would not have bet on it, to be honest. But this is the market, and the clubs are happy to invest and consider the valuations to be as they are, and that is fair. They have done it, and it is the right price because there is someone willing to pay, someone happy to sell, and the player happy to move."
Talk soon shifted to Pep Guardiola and the man now filling his old role, Enzo Maresca: "However much I praise what he (Guardiola) has achieved, I will fall short. Firstly for the Premier League and for this country, he opened up a new way of understanding the game, raised the level of the game to different degrees and set standards we had not seen before."
He went on: "He is exceptional and one of a kind, the best coach in the history of football. I think he will be missed in the Premier League, I do not know if the coaches will miss him much, but I think it is a word of personal gratitude from me for the time I spent with him. He made all the coaches and teams work and think in a different way. It was a pleasure to work with him, and now it is Enzo's turn, and he is just as good, because I know him well. He will bring something different to the club."
Maresca, he insisted, was the right appointment: "Enzo has the personality, the character and the knowledge to do an incredible job there. That is why he was chosen, they could have chosen anyone, but they chose Enzo for the right reasons. He has proven it at every level, and I have no doubt that he will do a great job."
Rounding off, Arteta returned to the transfer window and Arsenal's own plans: "It is a very exciting period of the season. When a lot of things happen it creates excitement. There is an opportunity to develop and to understand how each player feels. We are trying to give our maximum over 13 or 14 days to compete for every possible position, that is always the case, there is a chance for players to move in both directions and to see how the market responds, I will not talk about individual names. The club's ambition is very great and we want to improve and develop the squad, and we have identified the areas that can be strengthened."
