Arsenal have control but must deliver as title race nears dramatic finish
Arsenal Football Newsletter
The Gunners beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate to book their place in European football's biggest fixture for just the second time in the club's history.
Arteta and the players celebrated in jubilant fashion on the pitch and that led to some pundits suggesting they had gone over the top.
Wayne Rooney said on Tuesday night that the "celebrations are a little bit too heavy" and those comments have since been echoed by Paul Scholes and John Terry.
Mikel Arteta led his team’s celebrations
Reflecting on the response to Arsenal's celebrations, Arteta said on Friday: "First of all I didn't know about it.
"I think you have to respect every opinion and place them where they belong."
Asked where he places the opinions of those criticising the club, Arteta responded: "Where they belong. I don't know, that’s not important.
"I'm assuming that that criticism is positive and negative. That's what makes you better.
"When you want to set higher standards and performance levels that can give you the chance to compete for the two most prestigious competitions in Europe, you have to be prepared for that because you know the challenge and the difficulty of it.
"It does make you better, that's for certain."
Celebrations: Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly
It was a memorable night at the Emirates Stadium against Atletico, one that started hours before kick off.
The Arsenal fans lined the streets to welcome the team coach to the stadium and that atmosphere continued all the way through the match.
Bukayo Saka said after the game that he had never seen anything like the pre-match scenes when the coach arrived.
It was bedlam in the stands at full time and Arteta hailed the impact the supporters had in driving the players on.
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"It's crucial, immense and needed because what they can provide when we get into that emotional state, to that level of connection with the players, is just incredible," he said.
"The players described it. They're the most important ones, and they described it like they never had that feeling before in the stadium.
"They made them better."