Mikel Arteta has called on Arsenal to seize their moment in Budapest as the club prepares to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday.
The Gunners face the holders at the Puskas Arena, returning to the competition’s showpiece for the first time since 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in Paris. Arteta insists that two decades of waiting has only sharpened the hunger inside his squad.
“I think it is the opportunity to own the moment because, as you said, it is the second time in our history that we are here and we have the opportunity tomorrow to write a new chapter in the history of this football club,” Arteta said. “In order to do that, we have to play tomorrow with such clarity, a lot of courage and a relentless desire to win. If we have those three aspects, I am sure we are going to be close to winning.”
‘We earned the right to be here’
Arsenal arrive in Hungary as Premier League champions, their first top-flight title since 2004 already secured. Some suggested the pressure might ease having already delivered domestically. Arteta did not agree.
“No, the ambition is bigger, we have one and we want the second one. That is all we have been talking about. There has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more. The team is capable because they have shown it in the last seasons, this competition, what we have done this season in the competition, and then I want the players to be so confident that we are going to go and do it.
“The preparation has been really good, really focused, really positive. We are here because we earned the right to be here. In the manner that we have played and performed in the competition, and tomorrow on that field we are going to have to earn the right to go and win the trophy.”
Learning from PSG defeat
PSG eliminated Arsenal at the semi-final stage last season on their way to lifting the trophy, winning 3-1 on aggregate. Arteta was asked whether that experience had been used as motivation during the build-up to Saturday.
“We certainly use examples and things that we learned from those matches, and there is a lot to take from there. But it is true that we have evolved in a different way, and they have evolved in a different way. Their scenario is different as well. We took some learnings and things that we have to do better, and I am sure that will happen tomorrow.”
He also paid tribute to PSG head coach Luis Enrique, whose influence on the French club has been considerable since his appointment.
“He has always been a reference since he was a player because he was a very special player. Then, when he became a coach, and if you look at his journey when he left Spain and went abroad and came back, what he has done, in particular what he has done with this PSG club and team, you can see his fingerprints all over it.”
‘They want more’
Arteta acknowledged the difference he has noticed in his players since winning the Premier League, and believes that experience of lifting a major trophy has only fuelled the desire for more.
“They want more, going through those moments brings out a different desire because you lift it, you know exactly how it feels and you want to reproduce that feeling as many times as possible. Tomorrow we have the opportunity to do that.
“When I watched the games back I was pleased with what I saw, I was more confident that the feeling I had before about how unlucky we were in moments not to go through to that final. It is a different moment and the team has evolved.
“It will mean something new for all of us, we know how tough it is at a club like Arsenal to write new history, but that is the aim and why we are all excited and want to make it happen.”
