Arteta talks Arsenal, Saka, Martinelli and more

Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 4-1 on Sunday to extend their league at the top of the Premier League and head coach Mikel Arteta was satisfied with his team’s display at the Emirates.

Assessment of the match

“[I’m] very happy. Pleased with the way we started the game. I was already very happy with the way they reacted after Thursday. We took any doubts and dispelled them. There was a lot of determination, a lot of intent, and the way we played. I’m very happy with the way we played after playing 120 minutes, after losing two very important players for us, and the way we competed and won the match,” Arteta said.

Is Bukayo Saka the best player in the Premier League at the moment?

“I think the team did very well and we had individuals that allowed us to be at the level we wanted to be at (laughs). But yes, Bukayo (Saka) was again very, very good today, influencing the result with a contribution, especially in the opposition box, so very happy.”

Arsenal deal with injuries

William Saliba

“Hopefully, William’s (Saliba) is better news, but we still have to wait until tomorrow. We lose players. We lost Gabi (Jesus) for four months, Thomas (Partey) for a month and a half, Olek (Zinchenko) for another month and a half, we lost Mo Elneny for six or eight months. Now we have lost Eddie (Nketiah), Tomiyasu, Saliba... Everyone has to give a little bit more, it’s no secret. If we want to maintain the level, everyone has to step up, to give more.”

Martinelli’s missed penalty

“He’s not someone I’m particularly worried about, it’s part of football. When you see him running today with that energy, I honestly wasn’t too worried about it.”

International break coming up

How to guide Saka and Martinelli

“Just making sure that every day, they do the right thing. Do the right thing, do their way and everything they put in their head is the right information. This is about tomorrow, the next day and the next game. To be honest, they have the right environment, the right families and the right agents. It’s not a coincidence that they consistently behave the way they do. That’s why they play at the level they play at.”

Injury problems during the international break

“I want to think positively. They are going to play games, they have to do as well or even better than they do here because they are representing their countries. We are in contact with all of them and they know how to take care of themselves. I hope everything goes well.”