Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s hunger to win the Champions League has only grown following their Premier League triumph, insisting his players have quickly turned their attention from celebration to the pursuit of another piece of history.
The Gunners head into Saturday’s final against Paris Saint-Germain unbeaten in Europe this season. However, despite lifting the league title and arriving in Budapest full of confidence, they remain underdogs against the reigning European champions.
Facing the media on the eve of Arsenal’s biggest European match in two decades, Arteta made clear he wants his players to embrace the occasion rather than be burdened by it.
“It’s an opportunity to own the moment. It’s 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.
“In order to do that, we have to play tomorrow with such clarity, a lot of courage and a relentless desire to win. We have those three aspects, and I’m sure that we’re going to be close to winning.”
With Arsenal having finally ended their 22-year wait for a domestic league title, there is an argument that the pressure has eased on Arteta and his squad. The manager clearly doesn’t see it that way.
“No, the ambition is bigger. We have won one, and we want the second one. That’s all we’ve been talking about. That has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more.
“The team is capable because we’ve shown it in the last two or three seasons in this competition, and I want the players to be so confident that we’re going to go and do it.”
Asked whether he had noticed a shift in mentality among the players since being crowned champions of England, Arteta suggested success has only sharpened their appetite.
“They want more. I think going through those moments brings you a different kind of desire because when 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.”
Adding to the positive mood in the Arsenal camp is a much healthier squad than the one that limped through the closing weeks of last season. With only Ben White unavailable, Arteta has an abundance of options at his disposal, something he could only have dreamed of when PSG ended Arsenal’s European run in last year’s semi-finals.
Jurrien Timber, who has not featured since March, is fit and available for selection after coming through training unscathed. Noni Madueke, who picked up a knock at the weekend, is also ready.
Ahead of the semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid, Arteta admitted he spent countless hours agonising over his team selection. Asked whether he was wrestling with similar dilemmas this time around, he suggested the picture is a little clearer.
“Not that many, but there’s still some time to go through things. We have a bit more certainty as well with certain players that could be on that pitch, but in relation to the context of the game and what can happen tomorrow, we need to be ready.”
After revisiting the three games Arsenal played against PSG last season, the manager appears to have reinforced his belief that Arsenal belong on this stage.
“When I watched the games back [from last season’s semi], I was very pleased with what I saw and I was even more confident about the feeling I had before about how close and how unlucky we were in a lot of moments not to go through to that final.
“It’s a different moment, the teams have evolved in certain ways, and tomorrow we’ll play a different game, I’m sure.
“We certainly use examples and things that we have learnt from those three matches, and it’s a lot to take from them, but it’s 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 some things that we have to do better, and I’m sure that will happen tomorrow.”
As for the suggestion that Arsenal are underdogs, Arteta was happy enough to accept the label.
“They are defending the trophy, so they were the last ones to have the right to lift that trophy. They are actually the champions, and we are here to take that away from them.”
“It’s clear we have a lot of room for growth, and our history explains that very clearly,” he added.
“That’s why tomorrow is an opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done at this club before, something that will benefit us forever if we achieve it.”
So it’s fighting talk from the boss. If his players can deliver on that belief in the Puskas Arena, they will write themselves into club folklore.