Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are “hungrier than ever” ahead of the Champions League quarter-final at Sporting CP, while confirming Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard are fit.
Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal are “hungrier than ever” ahead of the Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP, with the manager calling on his side to use the pain of recent defeats to sharpen their response in Lisbon.
Arsenal go into the first leg on the back of successive losses, but Arteta made clear he has seen enough from the squad since Southampton to believe there will be no slide in form. “Have some perspective how difficult it is what we've done up to now,” he said. “Feel that pain, feel that emotion and use it to be better and to improve.” Arteta added that, after watching the Southampton defeat back twice, Arsenal “didn't deserve to lose that much” but had been punished for things “related to our identity”.
The Arsenal manager also rejected the idea that the two defeats had somehow changed the scale of the occasion. “That doesn't change it,” he said. “This is the quarter-finals of the Champions League. It doesn't get much better than that.” He added: “We worked so hard throughout the season to be in this position in the competition... so hungrier than ever. Very excited and very, very motivated for tomorrow's game.”
Arteta’s clearest injury update was a positive one. Asked if Gabriel was fit and available, he replied: “Yes.” The same answer also applied to Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, giving Arsenal a significant lift before one of their biggest games of the season. But there was less encouraging news elsewhere, with Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber both ruled out of the trip. “They're having trouble. They’re not ready yet,” Arteta said, before adding that he hopes both could be back for the weekend.
Arteta repeatedly returned to the idea that this is the moment for his players to show what they are about. “I know what it means to them and I know how much they want it,” he said. “Now is the moment to show it and we have to do it on that green tomorrow at the highest level.” When asked about mentality being questioned again, he was blunt. “When you play at this level for this club, that’s always going to be a question mark,” he said. “You have to deliver it every day.”
He was equally firm on the danger of panic creeping in. “Instead of panic, understand if that happens why it happened and bring clarity,” he said. “When you analyse that and you accept that, be better. That’s it.” It was a message aimed as much at the dressing room as the outside noise. Arsenal have suffered two setbacks, but Arteta’s mood was not defensive. It was demanding.
There was also praise for Sporting, whose home form and recent rise in Europe have clearly left an impression. Arteta described their home record as “incredible” and said he had been “very impressed” by the work done by coach Rui Borges, adding that Sporting are performing “collectively” and developing well on an individual level too.