What's the latest on Ben Chilwell's injury?
“He is going to go for a scan later this afternoon, so we’ll find out how he is then and there will be an update tomorrow. He feels ok but obviously aware of the injury. We need to let the swelling settle down, hence the delay with the scan. But we’ll know more after that.”
Do you fear the worst?
“I wouldn’t say fear the worst; it’s just we all saw the nature of the injury. I can’t say it looks positive. But until we get the scan, it’s difficult to say.”
Mentally, how is he coping with it?
“He’s ok, but I suppose until you get the diagnosis…at the moment we’re just hopeful and fingers crossed. From there we’ll get him back fit and strong. It’s disappointing, of course.”
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Do you think there is any fear among players of getting injured before the World Cup?
“I don’t think it’s fear. It’s part of the challenge, it’s how it is. It’s very difficult to play Premier League and Champions League football and go at it half-heartedly. That’s pretty much impossible.”
Any update from Dubai on Reece James and Wesley Fofana?
“No, no update.”
It's a big game on Sunday for Pierre-Emerick Aubemayeng, isn't it?
“A big game. It’s a London derby. Two good teams. Arsenal are doing really well. History makes it an interesting one for Auba, but the past is the past. We’re just looking at the game.”
Is he the sort of character that will want to make a statement, can you tune into that?
“We shouldn’t make it about him. It’s about the team. He’s an important part of the team. For us to get the result we want, that takes everyone, not just one person. I understand the headlines and interest is around him because it's Arsenal and there's a narrative around that. There's nothing we can do about that. But as a team and a group, we have to play well ourselves."
Do you sense he feels he's got something to prove?
"I don't think so. I think he’s looking forward to the game, excited for it. He’s been pretty normal from what I’ve seen. He's quite a quiet guy. I’m sure come match day he’ll be determined."
How important is it to match – or better – the intensity of Arsenal on Sunday?
“Very. If you don’t do that in any game, it will be a challenge for us. It was a unique situation at the weekend. Now we have to learn from that and be ready for a London derby. A special game, an exciting game. We have to be ready to play the football that can get us a result.”
In a congested fixture list, can an extra 24 hours of preparation and recovery time make a difference?
“The fact we’ve all been playing so much, it’s almost like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It’s not that big a deal, but it’s helpful to have that extra 24 hours in a way. We take what we can at this stage of the season. I don't think it has an impact on anything. We’re used to short spaces between games, but any time you have, you have to use it well.”
Is this a good opportunity to remind people of your top-four credentials?
“It's whether the glass is half full or half empty. You know the job, you know the noise. We were disappointed at the weekend because we didn’t play well and lost the game. It’s about the response and doing better. They boys have done that really well. It was a good performance against Zagreb, and we have to take that into Arsenal. A tough game, but a very exciting game.”
How important would it be to go into the World Cup break in the top four?
“That’s what we’ll try and do. We've got a big week, two games in the league and a cup game. So we’ve got a massive, an exciting week next week, so we have to just focus on the next one, with the greatest respect to Newcastle. We're focused on Arsenal. We don’t think about anything else and just try our best to win. We need to compete and try and do everything we can to win the football match.”
You're almost two months into your time at Chelsea, how would you assess how things are going?
“Objectively, it’s been seven wins, three draws, and a defeat; a lot of games in a very short space of time; actual training time very limited; getting to know the players all the time. So I'm really happy with the response and how the group’s been, understanding them more and more.
"Performance-wise we can do more, we can improve – and that’s exciting. But when you understand the mess of the fixtures and all the injuries we’ve had on the way and all the challenges it brings, we've done ok. But there is room to improve, I would say."
What have you made of the job Mikel Arteta has done to push Arsenal on in the Premier League?
“They’ve recruited well in the summer. [Oleksandr] Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus know what you need to do to win and they've also carried on their idea. It’s a really good example of how success can come. He’s had to face some pressure from the outside, but the club have stayed supportive and stuck to their ideas.
"The younger players have got more game-time and become more experienced. And as I've said before, generally the coaching experience becomes the more you're working. So it's a combination of hard work from their perspective, sticking with their ideas, support from around, and good recruitment."
Chelsea have had a strong record at home to Arsenal, do you feel pressure to keep that going?
“I think recently it hasn't gone so well unless I'm mistaken. So we have to do better there, that’s for sure. It's a London derby and anything can happen in the game. It's that type of occasion. We want to be positive, play well, be on the front foot and get the crowd involved in the game. They’re our 12th player and that's important for us."
Raheem Sterling has played almost every game for you, how do you feel he has settled at Chelsea and performed for you?
"It's been a difficult time for everybody if we're being honest. There's been change and disruption in that regard, so it's not been easy to hit top form. As I've said: loads of games and injuries to key players, so the team is having to recalibrate itself. But in the end, he has been part of what we're trying to do here and the results we've had.
"Like us all, he can improve. But I don't want to zoom into individuals are this stage because it is more of a collective challenge for us and that is something that I am responsible for."
Did the players need to get a result like Brighton out of their system?
"Yes, I think so. It was a defeat we didn’t like and didn’t enjoy – it would be strange if we did. They have responded well. The performance against Zagreb was a solid one, a professional one, it had intensity and enthusiasm. Everybody has trained well, been responsible. That's the impression I have of the group. So we're looking forward to the game and taking a little more pain away."
As a club, how do you close the gap to Manchester City, the dominant force of the last four or five years?
"I would say it's lots of things in terms of aligning resources in a better way. How you recruit, how you develop the football idea, we need time in that regard with the changes that we've been through. So probably a little bit of stability, a little bit of clever recruitment to add and help the group we have, and then continuing to work on the football idea. Those I would say are the two main areas."
What is the other team news – and do you expect Kepa will play again before the World Cup?
"Kepa, no. It's his plantar fascia (foot), so I don't think he will play before the World Cup. [Mateo] Kovacic trained today, so he's in contention. Carney [Chukwuemeka] has a slight issue with his hamstring that we are getting to the bottom of."
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