Mikel Arteta has a bold ambition to get Arsenal back among European football’s heavyweights.
Incredibly, Arsenal have not got past the last 16 since 2010 when, ironically, they beat Porto to reach the quarter finals. That was as far as it went that season and the next seven years saw them qualify from the Group stage every time - but then fall at the first hurdle.
Former Arsenal captain Arteta, who had five years as a player during that time between 2011 and 2016, saw at close hand how the Gunners slipped from being contenders to also-rans. They were on the receiving end of batterings from Bayern Munich, heavy defeats to Lionel Messi’s Barcelona and even a humiliation to AC Milan in the San Siro as well as crashing out to Monaco.
Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was incredibly consistent at getting them into the Champions League and the financial rewards helped them pay the mortgage on the Emirates. But the harsh reality was that Arsenal just could not compete before eventually slipping out of the Champions League after the 2016/17 season and this campaign is their first time back in Europe’s top competition.
Arteta has led them back into the Champions League after turning them into unlikely title contenders last season. Now they want to prove they also belong among Europe’s elite.
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Gunners boss Arteta said: “We have earned the right to be here. It’s been seven years since we’ve been at the top table for these kind off matches and 14 years since we were able to go to the next stage.
“That’s the challenge. We know what is ahead of us but we are very excited to face it and to go for it with full believe, that’s for sure. Someone called Messi was another obstacle as well and Bayern Munich that we faced. This competition is what it is. Individual quality is extremely important.
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PORTO, PORTUGAL - FEBRUARY 20: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at Estadio do Dragao on February 20, 2024 in Porto, Porto. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)“It comes down to details and you need your players at your best when the occasion arises. Tomorrow for sure we’ll need that.”
Arsenal do have two Champions League winners in Kai Havertz and Jorginho but this is new territory for the vast majority of the squad. It is the same story for Arteta but he says that they will learn on the job and has no doubt that the players can go all of the way.
“We don’t have the experience that’s the reality,” said Arteta. “95 per cent of these players haven’t played this competition, they haven’t played the last 16, I haven’t managed in this stage.
“But they have so much energy and enthusiasm to play well and that’s our desire and how we’re going to play the game. I’m learning everyday. When you don’t gave the experience, you try to use other people’s experiences. You have to make sure you feel your gut as well, which is really important.
"Make sure you prepare well and work hard. Make sure you do all the bits that you need to do to make the right calls and make the right decisions. It is nothing different to any other big match that we play in our domestic competitions.”
The Champions League is generally seen as the pinnacle of club football and Arteta insists that they can dream of reaching the final at Wembley in June.
Artetat added: “It is one of the biggest things in football. I don’t know if it is the best. But it should be incredible to have that feeling to lift that cup, in London – the 1st of June. It is there. It is in our minds.
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“It is a dream but there are a lot of things you have to earn the right to do before that and tomorrow we have a big obstacle ahead of us. We are really looking forward to it."
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