Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s ability to “adapt to very different contexts” will stand them in good stead when Paris Saint-Germain visit Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Gunners have lost just once in 12 matches in Europe this season, scoring a club-record 31 goals in the competition — 14 of which have come away from home, against the champions of the Netherlands (PSV Eindhoven), Portugal (Sporting), and Spain (Real Madrid).
Arsenal can also take confidence from their earlier group-stage win over PSG — a composed 2-0 victory that Arteta hopes will reinforce belief within his squad, even if the French side have grown stronger since that meeting.
Quizzed on the bravery his side will need to show ahead of PSG’s return to north London, Arteta said: “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.”
Reflecting specifically on the October win, Arteta added: “I loved 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.”
“I think we learnt from each other,” he added.
“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.”
Arteta has recently adopted the mantra “make it happen” and spoken passionately about the opportunity for his players to write a new chapter in the club’s storied history. Despite Arsenal’s emergence as a global force over the past 30 years, European glory remains elusive.
When asked about managing that weight of expectation, Arteta said: “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.”
He continued: “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.”
