Mikel Arteta interview: Arsenal manager discusses how he keeps his squad happy and why this Premier League season feels 'different'

You never know how far away you are from a Mikel Arteta analogy - and then one comes round the corner.

The Arsenal manager is in conversation with Sky Sports about what it's like for a new player to join this team, and the challenges of integrating them into his system.

"It's like shaping a pencil," says Arteta, a line delivered without hesitation from the club's training ground. "It's something you have to tweak constantly."

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The topic is pertinent given the sheer number of options the Arsenal manager has at his disposal. And for Arteta himself, tweaking constantly is something Arteta has faced all season.

Not only have the Gunners faced constant injuries at both ends of the pitch all season, which has tested Arteta's squad management skills - but there were eight new signings to integrate right across the pitch. One goalkeeper, two defenders, two sitting midfielders, two flair attacking players and a centre forward - half of those players new to the league.

Because of those injuries, the vast majority of those players have been needed at crucial moments in the season, perhaps barring back-up options Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard.

Getting half a dozen players up to the speed of this Arsenal team is a challenge for a multitude of reasons. Not only do new players face the heightened pressure of playing for a world-renowned team who simply must win, but there is a complex tactical structure at the club that Arteta has developed over years using his core of players.

But the Arsenal manager has a plan for that. He quizzes any prospective new signings with a barrage of questions before they join the club.

He uses what he asked Viktor Gyokeres before he arrived at the club. "I always do an exercise with the players," says Arteta.

"With Viktor, you come to a new country, do you speak the language? What is your family's situation? Because there [with your family] you are very protected but he comes here and he's exposed on his own and he needs to live five months in a hotel.

"Then you start to come here and the schedule changes. You have to play every three days in the most demanding league in the world that you've never played before.

"Then it's a different system, a different methodology, different teammates. And a No 9 needs that synergy and that chemistry with them.

"Then you come to the environment, the pressure and the expectations. So it's a lot of factors to handle, and they are really young men. But they all have an amazing attitude towards it."

That amazing attitude, as Arteta describes it, is needed - especially in Gyokeres' case, with the striker going ten games without a goal from open play. But he's not the only one who has faced difficulties - not everyone in this Arsenal team can play.

For example, Noni Madueke scored twice against Club Brugge but was an unused substitute for the next three Premier League games. Eberechi Eze has been left on the bench for the last four games, not getting a single minute of action. His north London derby hat-trick feels like some time ago.

"Noni has played a lot of games," Arteta says about those two situations. "Ebz has played more games with us now than he's ever played before January."

So what does he say to his frustrated players? "If they have any doubts, you have to give them clarity. Paint the context of the reason why they are here and the way they are contributing.

"And they've been incredibly good to handle and to manage because they want it so badly. They know that with the squad that we have, there are going to be moments for all of them. When you have it, take it. And that's what they've been doing."

And just because they aren't playing, doesn't mean his 'rotated out' players do not have a role. Throughout the season, the Arsenal manager has consistently praised his fringe players' attitude to training.

"My judgement on a player is understanding how he's fulfilling his role," says Arteta.

"Kepa? Ten out of ten. Unbelievable.

"Christian Norgaard? Unbelievable.

"Viktor? Very good. OK, he can score more goals, but all the other aspects are extraordinary.

"The same with Mikel Merino. Declan Rice is doing incredibly well, but he's playing a lot of minutes, when somebody else is playing less minutes. Mikel then has to play as a nine, it's extraordinary.

"The things that are non-negotiable are the attitude, the energy, the willingness to win, to support the team, all this has to be done."

And there is a flip side to having these squad dilemmas. While Madueke and Eze have been sidelined for periods, there is an argument that they have caused better standards from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard in the respective positions they are competing for.

That has been seen in recent weeks - with Odegaard back to his best with two assists and a goal in his last three games. Eze may not have played recently, but his presence is still there.

And at Bournemouth last weekend, Saka took just a matter of minutes to set up Declan Rice having been rotated out for Madueke, who played a huge part in Arsenal's first goal.

"It always raises the bar," says Arteta. "In training, the standards are higher.

"I think you learn as well from your teammates, with all the qualities they bring, the way they operate, the way they do all the things, and that's really good."

And on the flip side, there is the ability to rotate Arsenal's highest-performing stars when needed, like at Bournemouth on Saturday with Saka.

It has not gone unnoticed that every time Arsenal have faced a three-game week since the start of December, Saka has started at least one on the bench - including for Premier League games against Brentford and Bournemouth.

Arteta spoke last week about the need to change their protocols regarding Saka, after seasons which have seen him overplayed and sometimes suffering injuries - and admits he has learned from previous campaigns on how to manage his players.

"We have to be very smart," says Arteta about Saka's rotation. "The amount of minutes that he has played, the load that he is going through as well.

"It's unique at his age, I would say, and since he started with us. I wanted to protect him to get the best out of him, which is the ultimate goal."

The huge squad depth Arteta has at his disposal is one of the many differences between this season and last. And the Arsenal manager admits: "It feels different."

There is good reason for it. Normally the festive period sees Arsenal dip in terms of results and attacking quality. But this season they have maximum points.

Arsenal's last five Premier League games saw them draw each and every one of the same fixture last season, this term they have maximum points from them.

Even the transfer window feels different. Arsenal aren't scrambling around to plug the holes in their team, there is a relaxed approach given the options they have. If anything, they can plan for the future.

So what a difference a year makes in the world of Arteta's Arsenal. This time last year, they were six points behind the Premier League leaders having played a game more than Liverpool. A year on, the situation has gone 180 degrees.

Arsenal
Liverpool

Thursday 8th January 7:00pm

Now it's Arsenal who have the significant lead at the top of the Premier League. Five points clear with a game in hand - which is coincidentally against Liverpool, live on Sky Sports on Thursday night.

"It's against the champions and it's a massive game for us," says Arteta.

"It is special, it is different."

Watch Arsenal vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports Premier League on Thursday night from 7pm, kick-off 8pm