Mikel Arteta: Arsenal boss says Paris Saint-Germain ‘built to win’ Champions League after recalling Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha era
Mikel Arteta is plotting how to take down former club Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, and insisted his Arsenal side are capable of coming from 1-0 down. The Gunners boss spent 18 months in Paris during his career, playing alongside world stars such as Ronaldinho and Jay-Jay Okocha. He said that PSG demanded “excellence” and that they are “built to win” the premier competition.
Mikel Arteta believes his “excited” Arsenal team are ready to make history, as they attempt to reach the UEFA Champions League final.
The Gunners trail Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 after the first leg of their semi-final tie at the Emirates.
The North London outfit have never lifted Europe’s premier competition before, although they were runners-up in 2006, losing 2-1 to Barcelona at the Stade de France.
And Arteta is confident his side can at least match the achievements of Arsene Wenger’s team.
“We’re excited, full of energy,” he exclusively told TNT Sports. “We are one win away from being in a Champions League final, so you can imagine.
“It’s a big opportunity that we have. We are so convinced that we can do it.
“It [the first leg] was a really, really even match. It was defined by a moment. I’m sure tomorrow we will have ours. It’s about capitalising on those moments and making it our own.”
The fixture provides Arteta with a chance to return to a place he called home at the start of his career.
The Spaniard spent 18 months on loan at PSG, joining from Barcelona when he was in his late teens.
He joined a club who were on the up, and could call the likes of Ronaldinho, Nicolas Anelka and Jay-Jay Okocha team-mates.
A fourth-place finish in 2001/02 shows just how far the Parisians have come in the seasons since, lifting no fewer than 11 league titles.
But, like Arsenal, the Champions League has always evaded them, although they were also beaten finalists, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in 2020.
Reflecting on his time in Paris, Arteta continued: “We had some of the best players in the world at the time: Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha, [Mauricio] Pochettino. I could go on forever.
“It was about winning. It was about the highest standards. This club has been built to win the Champions League. They have been trying for many years and it’s no different now.”
The Arsenal boss also gets to pit his wits against a former team-mate in Luis Enrique.
The pair played together at Barcelona, with Arteta adding: “I was very young still. I wasn’t a big part of the squad.
“But he is a magnificent coach; someone very special, someone inspiring.
“What he’s done again is build a team. It’s very clear what he wants to do. I’m looking forward to facing him.”
Getting one over Enrique will not be easy for Arteta though.
PSG have won 11 of their last 15 home games, with their only defeats during that time coming against Liverpool in this competition and, more recently, Nice in Ligue 1.
The Gunners, however, can draw plenty of confidence from a run of four consecutive away victories in the Champions League, including a 2-1 success over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
“We’ve done it against very different opposition in a really convincing way as well,” he concluded.
“We [have] learnt from the past game; it was not the result that we wanted to take, but as well, it brings so much clarity about what we have to do tomorrow.
“[We want] more of the same, more continuously and [to] play again with that courage, with that belief.
“When you come to these stadiums, you have to elevate the level. You have to be at your best. Tomorrow we have an incredible opportunity to be in the final.
“When you think about the competition, the fact that we’ve never won it, the opportunity that we are one win away from competing in that final brings a different emotion to your body.
“It’s natural. It’s happening. Let’s do it tomorrow.”
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