Mikel Arteta was full of excitement and anticipation in his pre-PSG press conference as he looks forward to Tuesday night’s Champions League semi-final first leg at Emirates Stadium.
Our manager sat down in front of the media in north London on Monday to share his thoughts on his team’s biggest game of the season so far, provide the latest team news and more.
Here’s everything he had to say on the following subjects.
on if it feels like the biggest game of his life:
It does and you sense it, you sense the energy, the enthusiasm that it’s something unique. It’s probably one of the biggest games that the Emirates have seen since we built it. We’re full of energy, enthusiasm and can’t wait to play the game tomorrow.
on what it would mean to win the European Cup:
Especially with the circumstances that we had this season, how we have overcome a lot of issues and challenges and the fact that the team is here as one of the four best teams in Europe. It tells you about the mindset, the spirit and how much we really want it. We are making history, it’s a beautiful story right now but we want much more.
on creating an even better atmosphere than we did against Real Madrid:
I told them and I’m not exaggerating when I said bring your boots, bring your shorts, bring your t-shirts and let’s play every ball together. We want to do something special, that place has to be something special, something that we haven’t seen. I really hope that everybody who comes tomorrow to the Emirates and everybody watching and following us brings that energy with them.
on if he feels the weight of history:
You feel it, especially because we have fortunately a lot of people who have worked in the club for many, many, many years and they’ve never been in this position. So that tells you how unique and beautiful it is. It’s the nicest competition for any European club. We’ve never done it, so we need to earn the right to be in that final and everything is going to start tomorrow.
on if we can take anything from Aston Villa’s approach against PSG:
You learn a lot from every game. It’s different, I think the context and results from both games are very, very different. The same with Liverpool, but I take a lot of things from the game that we played here. We understand how strong they are as a team, the individuals that they have, but we have the same. So when you get to this stage, I think the margins and the difference between the two teams are not big. It’s really the mindset, it’s the attitude and how we’re going to play the game tomorrow.
on if the connection with supporters is the best it’s ever been:
I think since I’ve experienced it and I was part of this as a player, 100%, and hopefully it will be much better because it’s still very improvable. Building your own story and having experiences that we have together lately, I think that’s going to make that relationship and that connection even stronger. Tomorrow we have a massive opportunity as well, as a club, as supporters, to demonstrate who we are and how far we still want to get together.
on how we can be brave against PSG:
You’ve seen it first hand the way we approach the game against Real Madrid, the way we approach the game when we played [PSG] before, the way we approach every week. That’s not going to change, that’s who we are, it’s our biggest strength. The good thing as well about us is that we are able to adapt to very different contexts, and we have shown that again this season. Because sometimes you don’t want to, but the teams are able to take you to a different game, and feeling comfortable playing that game, and overcoming that game with yourself in a position that you play more of the game that you want, is a big strength. I think this season again we have demonstrated that we have the capacity to do that.
on playing the second leg away from home:
Going to the Bernabeu is probably the biggest test that you can have as a European team, because of the history, because of the very recent history and a lot of the things that happened there. I think we managed that game really, really well and that brings confidence and experience to a team that most of us, we never had before.
on if a player has ever justified their price tag more than Declan Rice:
Hopefully when we win a lot of trophies together, we can justify that with the ownership and everybody is happy. We are extremely happy to have him. He’s made a few strides forward to play with that presence and that determination and actually to influence the game the way he did in both legs was really impressive. And with that, I think the individuals have to step up in these moments. It’s a game for big players to stand out and make a difference in the game.
on what it would mean to have a chance to bring home the Champions League trophy for the first time:
Incredible opportunity. We are here to make people happy, to create history and we are very close. Now we have to take the opportunity and make it happen.
on if he always believed, throughout difficult times, that we could reach this stage:
I hoped and I dreamed and I put all my work, effort and the support of other people around the club to achieve it. But those days were necessary. It’s a journey to have sense and to achieve what you want to do. You have to learn and you have to go through certain periods to enjoy certain others. This is where we are right now and now we have to make the next step.
on the latest team news:
We know that we lost Thomas Partey unfortunately very late in the game against Real Madrid [to suspension]. Ben White and Mikel Merino were able to train and we will see if they are able to start tomorrow. Riccardo Calafiori is still not fit.
on how the mindset has changed over time:
It’s just to visualise it, to be convinced, to go on that pitch thinking we’re going to beat them. We’re going to be better than them tomorrow and we’re going to do everything that we understand are the right things to earn the right to win the game. Go there with that conviction and feel the conviction around it, I think it’s key. If we are able to generate that energy we’re going to be much closer to winning the game. That’s what I feel again in the team. We are really looking forward to playing the game tomorrow and we’re going to give our very best to try to win the game.
on whether that feeling has changed over time:
I think probably you feel it because there’s been so much work done before and because the players are really resonating with what we are doing. They feel we can face these guys and we can be better than them. That’s the feeling we had against Madrid, or in the previous round or through the group stages and that’s how we feel today. I look at them in the eyes and they can’t wait to play tomorrow.
on channelling the weight of history positively:
It’s just an opportunity. We have to have the feeling that we have to hold them back tomorrow to go on that pitch and express themselves. This is a moment now to say: ‘OK this is who we are, this is who we are as a team, this is who I am as an individual and I’m going to put my very best in there to make it happen.’ Play with that mindset and let yourself go. Everything now is about where are the limits, and how far do I want to go?
on whether our win over PSG in October is relevant:
I think we learn from each other. It was very important for us because at the time they were one of the best teams in Europe and they were performing consistently. They have an excellent coach. They’ve been together now for a while. To put yourself into that category, that level, and say: ‘actually we can compete and we can beat them’, I think was a good preparation for what is coming right now.
on how to shrug off the weight:
Live in the now. The present is where we are. We are so fortunate. We put so much into it to be in the position that we are. We earn it with our work, with our enthusiasm because we faced a lot of challenges and we managed to compete at the highest level for 10 months. So we earn it now. Be present and live the moment. It’s a beautiful moment. Let’s live it and let’s enjoy it.
on talking about the past:
For me, it’s irrelevant. It’s part of our history. We can learn things from that but the past is the very far past and the very short past as well. I’m very interested in the short past to understand if that helps the team to be in the position that they are in today, to use a lot of things to be better tomorrow and win again.
on taking inspiration from Arsenal Women’s recent success:
The women’s team have already earned that and they’ve been an inspiration. It’s been incredible what they’ve done and to achieve it in the manner that they’ve done it. So again, for us, it’s just showing the road, the pathway, how we can do it and how inspiring it is for us because we want to be there as well.
on what he learned from our win over PSG in October:
I love the presence, how we went out there, our body language, the intensity, how aggressive we were. We played with real belief and determination and when you’re facing big opponents, immediately you need to put the game into that context.
on the balance between excitement and nerves:
Preparation. I think prepare as well as you possibly can. Make sure that your energy is balanced. Make sure that you’re understanding what you have to do. It’s time to express yourself out there and enjoy being a footballer and playing in one of the best stages that you can play in world football.
on how PSG and Real Madrid differ:
Very different opposition. I think it’s a team that is very well worked with a lot of detail, with a lot of attention to a lot of things and understanding why certain things happen in the game. Of course, they have the individual talent that we have. If not, we wouldn’t be here.
on dealing with the high expectations from football fans following our Real Madrid win:
We generated belief that we did it against, again, probably the best opposition that you can face in the competition. And that has generated, I think, enthusiasm and possibilities probably that nobody expected, which is very good.
on whether Arsenal should be considered the favourites to win the Champions League this year:
When you look at the history, no, because we’ve never done it. So there is so much to do. Hopefully, if somebody believes we can do it, it’s because of the performances and what the team is transmitting against the big opposition. If that’s the case, OK.
on the importance of playing with passion:
That’s one, certainly. The intensity and understanding of managing emotional moments are very important. But at the end, you have to play your game and you have to deliver the quality in key moments to have the right to win a football match against a really good opposition.
on Mikel’s time as a player at PSG:
One of the best memories I have as a football player was my debut for PSG. Forever grateful for the opportunity and experience that I had, which was incredible. They just showed me a picture now with some ex-players that I shared, one of them was Ronaldinho as well. It’s a photo that I cannot take out of my head. Again, very grateful.
on the power outages across Spain:
Regarding what happened in our country, very disappointed, very sad. And hopefully we can resolve that issue immediately.
