Arteta after qualifying for the European final. We needed luck… and I apologized to the players

The Spanish coach appreciates the role of “Arsenal” fans in reaching the European finals

“Arsenal” coach Mikel Arteta expressed his great joy after leading his team to the Champions League final at the expense of “Atletico” Madrid.

and:On Tuesday evening, “Arsenal” won a valuable victory over its guest, “Atletico” Madrid, with a score of 1-0. In the second leg of the semi-final at the “Emirates” stadium.

The London side qualified 2-1 on aggregate ahead of the final of the other semi-final, which pits Bayern Munich against PSG this Wednesday night.

This is the second time Arsenal have reached the Champions League final, 20 years after the first in 2006 when they lost to Barcelona.

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I have never experienced anything like this before

At the post-match press conference, Arteta said: “It’s an incredible evening. We made history together again. I couldn’t be happier or prouder of everyone who belongs to this club. What happened off the pitch was exceptional and unique.”

“The atmosphere the fans created and the energy they provided made this night special. I’ve never felt anything like this in a stadium.”

The Spanish coach continued. “We gave everything we had. The players did a great job. After 20 years and for only the second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.”

Some luck

He continued. “It’s very difficult. We are in complete agreement in our wishes and ambitions for the club, but you also need some luck to make things go your way.”

As for the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium, “now this goal has been achieved. We have to maintain this level because any big club that wants to compete for major titles all the time has to have this atmosphere.”

“We have to start preparing for Sunday’s match tomorrow. We have a strong match against “West Ham”. It’s great to enjoy this moment, but we have to focus on tomorrow.

Seeing the pride in the fans’ eyes is great

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Arteta said: “It’s a great night to have a moment like this with the players and everyone at the club. It’s an amazing feeling. Everything we do and go through makes sense now, and I see a lot of happy faces and I’m proud of what we’re achieving.”

He continued. “It was surprising from the beginning. The fans were waiting for us outside the stadium and the energy and passion they showed was amazing, so it was great that we won.”

He commented on the role of fans. “Of course, they have set standards and we are trying to reach them. We have fought for many years to give them this joy and it was wonderful to see the pride in their eyes.”

I apologized to the players and they hugged me

Arteta was asked what he likes most and he replied: “Team spirit”.

“It was very difficult to make decisions and I feel a lot for the players. I know very well what wonderful people they are, and I spoke to some of them this afternoon and apologized to them and said, “I will rely on the same composition”, and they responded immediately.

The Spanish coach commented on Bukayo Saka’s winning goal. “It had to be scored by a very special player and of course it’s very special for me, the players and everyone who belongs to this club.

Defense wins championships

Regarding the changes after the loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, Arteta said: “In sport at the highest level, and especially in football, you have to be on your toes all the time and you can never predict what will happen in the next moment.”

As for what has changed since then, he responded by saying: “We are constantly trying to develop and work on ourselves and I also criticize myself a lot and when some players start to come back and participate it makes a big difference.”

As for Victor Geukiris, he said:

Regarding the defense, he answered: “It’s absolutely wonderful. When you talk about Jeukeris, he’s the first to set the rhythm, the format and the habits we show when we don’t have the ball and it’s a team effort.”

As for the saying that offense wins games and defense wins championships, he commented: “So let’s do it!”

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