In the second half of his pre-Real Madrid press conference, Mikel Arteta reflected on how far Arsenal have come to be involved in occasions like this, the pride he’ll feel on the touchline, and why he believes his side’s hunger for success is unmatched.
Here’s what he had to say…
On making a statement with a win against Madrid…
Exactly, that’s what we need. To build a story you have to go through hurdles, and we’ve gone through one, which was to be in the quarter-finals with this football club [which we hadn’t done] for a long time, we’ve done it twice in a row, and now we want much more, and we are capable of doing it, very capable of doing it. So I have full belief that we are prepared to do it, and tomorrow night I want the team and everybody that comes to that stadium to feel the same way.
On the importance of playing the opponent, not their history…
Very important, because that’s not something that we can interfere with, and as well, the more convinced we are, the more we feel it, the more we transmit that, the less we’ll give them any opportunity to think that there is an opportunity to take against us. So that mindset is going to be very, very important.
On facing Real Madrid once in his career, and in unusual circumstances…
Yeah, it was a threat of a terrorist attack, unfortunately, when it was 10, 15 minutes to go, and we had to leave the stadium and play a few days later, just those remaining seven, eight, ten minutes of the game. Yeah, not a very pleasant experience.
On understanding the feeling of playing in the Bernabeu.
Yeah, I’ve been there as well, watching games, so I know what it is. The focus is now on how we’re going to recreate what we want tomorrow night at the Emirates.
On big games being a distant dream when he became head coach…
Well, we were very far from qualifying for the Champions League, even. So forget about playing a quarter-final twice in 15 years, but that’s a merit to the club, how they have made a lot of good decisions, and a lot of people have been involved in dragging that boat as fast as we possibly could to be in this stage. And now everybody is still unsatisfied because we want much more.
On what he’ll be feeling when he’s on the touchline…
I love to compete against the best, I love to be challenged against the best, and we’re in a competition that has something very, very special and that we don’t have any history of winning as a football club, so the hunger, the desire nobody can have more hunger and desire than us, it’s impossible.
On taking confidence from a strong run in the Champions League so far…
The reason I’m convinced is because our team has given us reasons to believe in them, and a lot of arguments to think that we can beat any opposition. And now, you have to do it when the context changes, whether it’s this stage, whether it’s a home or away, to deliver, and that’s what we have to do, not talk too much about it, have that belief and that confidence individually and collectively, that we are more than prepared to do it, and then it’s about doing it.
On why Arsenal have done well in Europe this season…
Yeah, we played PSG here, we have played some big games in the Premier League you don’t face much more competition than you do in the Premier League, normally, even if it’s in Europe, and the team has been so consistent, so now it’s about making it happen in these stages when it’s needed, and that’s what we have to deliver.
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