Every word from Arteta's pre-Atletico presser

Our third Champions League game of the season sees us take on Atletico Madrid at Emirates Stadium and Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the press ahead of the clash.

We're currently unbeaten in the league phase and Mikel previewed the showdown with the La Liga outfit, answering questions on his squad, our form, and much more.

Read the full transcript below:

on the mentality after beating Fulham:

It's very happy obviously and especially after international breaks when you know that you have to align and regroup everybody. You could tell that in the first 10 minutes that we were a bit still getting that rhythm, but afterwards watching the game back I think that we deserved to win. There are things to improve, but we take the win and we move on now for the Champions League match.

on Piero Hincapie’s availability:

He will be available. I think [the Fulham] game came a bit too early for him, so he had another two very good sessions and now he's ready to go.

on coming up against Diego Simeone and how highly he rates him:

At the highest level, I think what he's done since he got to Atletico has been outstanding, not only what he has achieved but the way he's done it. I think the identity that he has created for the club, for the team, the spirit, I think they are very simple and clear to identify, and that's because the manager is very much them. That's extremely difficult to achieve for a short period of time and to do it for 14 years, I think he's been there now, he's done something incredible so it'll be a pleasure to meet him.

on William Saliba watching Atletico Madrid after our win over Fulham:

I'm very pleased because I didn't encourage it, so it came from them. That's the most powerful thing - a game finishes, the job is done but now what's next, what's the next challenge, what's the next opportunity? We know that it's going to be a really tough one, so the earlier we start to think about it and prepare, the better. I love that initiative from the players and it tells you how much they want it and how focused they are on what is next.

on using Simeone as inspiration for his longevity as Atletico boss:

There is someone that I look up to and learn from in many situations. What is for me outstanding is his passion, I think for how long he's been in the game and in the same club, with the same players, and how you still have that handle and that capacity to transmit such an energy and willingness to win. It's a very tough environment that we live in, and to keep convincing players, you have to be extraordinary as well. I don't know him personally but everything that I have heard about him is that he's so good at doing that. That's one of the reasons why you are able to sustain at that level.

on if he would want to see Simeone in the Premier League:

It’s going to get tougher, we have enough super good managers here so I don't know, that will be completely up to him, if one day he wants to experience that. What I can say is that from what I've seen and after analysing the team, how well they are coached.

on getting nine points in the last three games in the league:

We have to get as much information as we can and understand the reasons why we dropped certain points [last season] and then try to implement them. To be fair, sometimes from a draw to a win there are details and things that have to go your way, but it's true that the team shows a different kind of maturity, threat and probably conviction at this stage. But it's still very early, we have to do it now for another 30 games and that's going to be the objective.

on being favourites for the Premier League title:

The only thing that I embrace is when I see the team, the energy, the temperature, the commitment and the quality that they can deliver, that it gives me that conviction that we can go all the way but that's it, that's just a feeling. Then the next day you have to prove it, the next training session you have to prove it and nothing else. We cannot be busy thinking about those topics.

on whether he has been inspired by Simeone’s culture at Atletico:

No, I think I got that done more through my experiences and my beliefs and especially my understanding of Arsenal and this football club and my experience here. I think to put a different context to this one is extremely difficult and at the end I think you have to be authentic to your beliefs, your way of dealing with people, especially which is the most important thing when you talk about culture. Slowly, you have an idea, and after that, sometimes you change the trajectory a little bit to understand what is best for the club.

on what Gabriel Heinze has brought to our defence:

I think that's something very, very collective with all the coaches, with the players, with their commitments as well and Gabriel added something different, that willingness to win. We've seen that through his career, that experience to win and to elevate somebody's level, ambition and drive to the highest limit, and he's extraordinary at that.

on whether results elsewhere add a spring to our step in training:

I haven't noticed that but obviously there is a lot of narrative afterwards, but that's it. Every game in this league is a must-win and a very difficult game to win. We're all very appreciative of that, so you don't get carried away with any of that.

on whether it’s harder to prepare for a game against a long-serving manager:

On this one, I think the hardest thing is the time that you have. It’s basically a day when you can't really do much to prepare, so it’s understanding the time that we have to spend to analyse and understand that. They have evolved as a team from where they were probably a year ago to now, and how they can change in relation to the context of the match, which is something very specific for this team. In order to prepare in the best way, you want to give [the players] everything, but be able to simplify the information and make it as concrete and as clear as possible for us being in the best position to implement what we want to do tomorrow.

on why Simeone's team is so difficult to play against:

First of all, the willingness to win. You can sense that in every single ball, in every single yard, the way they play, so it's about how they compete and then after how they play. I think there are two very different things, and in order to have to analyse what they are, the level of organisation is really high, the level of discipline is really high and then they have acquired a lot of talent throughout the years that are very specific for the needs and the way they want to play and they are very, very good at exploiting those opportunities.

on if Simeone could be successful in the Premier League:

If he works in the Champions League, which is the highest competition in Europe, he can do it anywhere. I don't know, you have to come here and try it and feel it, but I'm very sure that his know-how is unbelievable and his character and willingness will take him anywhere.

on why we’re so effective at set-pieces:

We keep evolving and keep improving. It's a system that when you put it in place, the system has to learn every single day, every single game, to become better. That's in relation to the players that we have and what we learn from ourselves and as well what we learn from the opposition and try to be as consistent as possible. In order to do that, you have to give importance to certain topics, to become really important and we try to do that in the way that we share the time and the focus in game preparation, and then it's the delivery.

on how Gabriel Heinze's one-on-one sessions help the players:

That experience. If somebody tells you if you do that you're going to be successful and you know that he's done it and he's been successful, it's a lot of credibility there.

Click here to read article