Mikel Arteta discusses "unfortunate" Piero Hincapié and Martin Zubimendi injuries

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Arteta on the post-match injury blow to Hincapié and Zubimendi and Arsenal's squad depth

The video focuses on Arsenal's post-match injury blow to Hincapié and Zubimendi and Arteta's response, with the manager arguing that the answer is not to stop training. The guest also discusses the mindset of non-starters, the Leeds performance and Arsenal's squad depth, while Giroud says his scorpion kick against Crystal Palace was intentional. The overall takeaway is that Arsenal's depth is still seen as a strength, but the post-match session has raised questions.

► Subscribe to Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWSkySportsYT Gary Cotterill provides the latest Arsenal injury update and speaks to Mikel Arteta after their victory over Leeds. SkySportsNews SkySports arsenal ► For the latest developments on this story: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/topstories ► For the latest transfer news: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/TransferCentre More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsnews ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsNews ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage

Transcript

A big win for Arsenal at the weekend, but everything not all positive at the Emirates as Pier Henapier and Martin Zubendi both suffered injuries. >> Yeah, our reporter Gary Cotrol spoke to manager Mikuel Artetta earlier today. We can join Gary now. Gary, good to see you. What happened? Tell us. Well, of course, nothing new or particularly newsworthy in a couple of players picking up injuries in a game or even in training at the training ground or on international duty or even sometimes in the warm up. But to pick up injuries in the warm down after a game was finished when a lot of the players who played the full 90 minutes are in the shower and the substitutes and who'd had a few minutes or no minutes at all were involved in a warm down on the pitch. That is unheard of. I think it's pretty extraordinary. But to lose one player like that would be amazing to lose two. Wow. Well, that's exactly what happened here at around 2:30 2:45 on Saturday after that victory over lead. Zuba Mendy and Incapier were involved in a smallsided game as it's called. Not just running up and down the pitch, but giving the players haven't had many minutes some minutes kicking a ball around. Couple of goalkeepers who weren't involved. Max Damon who wasn't involved wasn't involved. Mik Marino had a couple of minutes. Zubame Mendi who had 10 minutes and Capier who didn't have any minutes at all and in Capier and Zubame sorry in Capier had 10 minutes Zubame didn't have many minutes at all and they got an injury an ankle injury uh we don't know how serious it is yet they both had scans our understanding is that in Capio is more serious than Zuba Mendi but Malarteta didn't know exactly how long they'd be out today it could be days it could be weeks but yeah he's not happy at all about what happened uh and he said that it hasn't happened before in his seven years in Arsenal. Didn't happen at all. 37 matches doing exactly that last season. So yeah, this is what he had to say about it. >> Well, it happened. We had a training session planned after the game for the players that didn't have enough minutes to get everybody uh the recovery day on Sunday and to get everybody in the rhythm and uh and in two very unfortunate actions. Um we lost two players and um yeah not great >> within Capier and Zubamedi in this game where small things can make such a difference at this level. It's not ideal is it to lose two players in in a warm down. >> Far from ideal. Yeah. >> What what can be done about that to stop it happening going forward? >> Very easy. You don't train. Never train and they don't get injured. But what the consequence to that is when they have to play, they have no rhythm. And when you ask them to play, they're going to have no impact in the game. That could happen at the Emirates. It never happened in seven years that I've been here. It could happen the next day in the training session. And that has happened before and uh hopefully happen now and doesn't happen again. But what can you do? If I knew I had a crystal ball clear, is it guys go in the jacuzzi everybody and see you tomorrow? >> He's not happy, is he? Um, Steven, um, we'll come back to Gary in just a moment. Um, Stephen, I want just want to ask you, it must be really frustrating when players get injured full stop, but you can tell by the look on his face there. He'll be really irked that it happened of all things in a warm down for these two players. >> Yeah. So, I think a warm down is probably the wrong phrase for that because if you've not played a game, it's more like a little bit of a blast to get your legs going after the game. So, it's like and even the words he used there, he said to give everybody a recovery day on Sunday. So, it's almost like they were doing a little bit of a it's not high intense session, but it's a session just to get you going, get on the pitch, get some minutes into your legs, and the next day you're still on the same program as the players that played. You're still on the recovery day program, and then you go again for the for the match on the Tuesday. I' I've been in teams where after games if you don't play it's like a running session after the game you go out and do some sprints or you know whatever it's designed or we got towards a stage where you're playing little five games and they get quite intense because you've not played a match you're going out there and as soon as you start like I said across that one and you get into it it's very hard for a coach or a manager to say just take it easy play at 50% as soon as you start playing you want to play a high intensity and I can imagine that sessions listen there was no you can get injured at any moment at any time and that's just unfortunate what's happened to them. Um but for me, I always just prefer just doing a little bit of running after game, get the running done, then come back in the next day and train again. >> Right. Okay. Well, um look, Gary, um Ebraza didn't start on Saturday despite uh Christo Solless's injury. What did Artessa have to say about that? >> Yeah, Madeki started down the left. Deba hasn't started a Premier League game all season. In fact, he hasn't played a full 90 minutes in any game at all this season. He would have been one of those players involved in that warm down in that uh session that they had off the back of the game because he wasn't involved in unused substitute. And Mikuel Arteta was asked about him today and he said that no, he hasn't been knocking on his door demanding to know why he's playing, but he is aware of what's required of him when called on. We know that Mikl Arteta likes to refer to his players not as starters uh and substitutes but as starters and finishers. He sees a place for both sets of players. Ebes is very much a finisher at the moment but he says he's going to rely on him at some point this season. He needs to be ready >> like everybody else. I think they need to earn the rights to to play and that's through training sessions and when you are on that pitch to make the impact that um that the game and the team needs um in order to achieve that and he's going to have many opportunities to do that. His attitude has been always phenomenal and and we have to adapt as well to his qualities. I think I've been very proactive as well to try to speak to everybody to be really engaged and and to make them understand what we need from each of them, what their standards are and um and be very specific if I can when they going to play, when they're not going to play. And so far it's been um it's been good. But we need to maintain that because we're going to need the players that start or finish the games to be very ready like they've been to change games or to impact games which at the end it's what we need to win four matches. >> So we're going to finish uh here with this picture of a well-known face of the Emirates. There he is, Olivia Giru, 40 years old now playing for Liil. Of course, we've been talking all day about what he calls his best, most favorite moment in football. That was getting on for 10 years ago now against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. That scorpion kick. He's been speaking in the news conference ahead of this match against Arsenal tomorrow night, saying he did do it on purpose. It's his best moment in football. He won the Puscus award for it, but he couldn't do it now because he's too old. >> Oh, aging backwards and Giru. Thanks, Gary. >> I'm sure he liked that. We didn't see his reaction. >> Yeah, wish I was. Um, can I just go back to Eberz, Stephen, because he hasn't actually started in the Premier League at all this season? I know that Arsenal fighting on forefront, so everyone should get game time, but should he be concerned about how many minutes he's getting just now? >> Yeah, any player that's not starting is concerned why they're not starting. They um and I know the manager was saying he wasn't knocking his door, but you're definitely looking for answers. You want to know what the reason is and what you need to do to get yourself into that starting lineup. I can tell you now there's no one that's sitting on that bench for Arsenal that is happy sitting there. They they'll be able to deal with it and think, "Right, I'll get a chance at some point." But you're not happy because you want to play. You want to play every minute of every game. That's just the way you are. It's the way you're wired. And as a will be exactly the same. He's going to be disappointed that he's not starting every match that he's not having his influence that he can have. But he's going to have to buy his time. And I said with Arsenal, the way they're playing, the amount of games they're going to play, it's going to happen sooner or later, I would think. And it's just about him being ready and like the manager said, you know, those little training sessions, keeping sharpness, so when you do come in, you can make that impact and then, you know, push yourself for a starting B. >> What did you make of their performance against Leeds? >> It was it was okay. I think that that's the best way. I I don't think it it blew me away. I just felt it was they did enough to get the win. Um influences off the bench really good. Um I think I said the goal they give away here again bit sloppy for them defensively which we don't you look at last season everything's compared to last season you think defensively they were so solid so organized couple lapses but when it comes to key moments they got people in the game in the right areas getting goals in um two fullbacks I think Lincoln up there Califur I think has been I think he's been brilliant for them you see why he came off he's he's a but it's keeping these players fit I think they just found a way to win which is a side of a champion team they they they know how to get the best out of moments key moments can they come up trumps players like this coming on that you've just signed make an impact that's what will set you apart and will keep you fighting on all fronts and um like I said players I guess a no doubt I will think will have a have a really important role at some point in the season but it's mentally canetic keep him focused and charged and ready when he does come in there's no drop off in the standard that they say >> you're saying no drop off in the standard you mentioned Bruno Gimme there's not going to be a drop off in the standard is there that is that just illustrate the strength of that squad and why you still believe Arsenal will have the edge on City. >> Yeah, it is. It's you know the with the players you bring in. If you bring in someone like that into a team, you know, there is no time for him to have to adjust to that level to the level that the manager wants, to the style of play he wants, he's already made fit for that side and he's going to improve that midfield. So even if he's not starting, if he comes on, you know, he can add a huge impact to it. You put him him beside the deck and rice other guard as a as a really combative technically gifted midfield and they're they're capable of you know competing with any