There was a dramatic pause when Mikel Arteta was asked what he wanted from the Arsenal fans against Sporting on Wednesday night in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
After his attempts to cheer them up before the early kick-off against Bournemouth at the weekend by telling them to “bring their lunch” failed spectacularly with a costly home defeat ending with some fans booing the Premier League leaders off the pitch, this time the message was more thoughtful.
“No fear. Pure fire,” said the Arsenal coach. “That’s what I want to see from the players, from the people, from myself. That’s it. Let’s go for it because the opportunity is incredible. We’re in April, we have an incredible opportunity ahead of us. Let’s face it, let’s go for it by putting absolutely everything into it.”
In a week where the Spaniard’s ability to get Arsenal over the line has been seriously questioned after three successive Premier League runners-up finishes, Arteta seemed at pains to insist that it is business as usual despite three defeats in his last four games. Crisis? What crisis? However, considering they had only lost three times in their previous 49 games in all competitions, with Manchester City breathing down their necks again and major doubts over when talisman Bukayo Saka will play again due to an Achilles problem, this is surely the biggest challenge Arteta has faced since taking charge in 2019.
“It was a big disappointment and difficult to accept,” he reflected on the defeat to Bournemouth that left City within striking distance ahead of Sunday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium. “Especially losing at home when we had the opportunity to widen that gap and bring more certainty and go into this week in the best way possible. What we are trying to achieve is difficult, it is challenging, it is bumpy at times and it is supposed to be that way. So you have to face it and what I basically said: ‘Guys, we are trying to do something in this competition that has not been done in the history of the club in 140 years.’
Arteta was referring to the possibility of Arsenal reaching consecutive semi-finals in the Champions League for the first time, although he mistakenly thought that this season is the first time they have reached three consecutive quarter-finals, a feat that was also achieved when Arsène Wenger was in charge between 2008 and 2010. To reach the semi-finals, where they would face Atlético Madrid, Arsenal still have to overcome a Sporting team that could easily have gained something from the final. this week’s first leg in Portugal if it hadn’t been for David Raya’s heroics in goal.
Ten wins in their 11 games so far in this competition, including five wins at the Emirates Stadium, should give them confidence, although Arteta did not like the suggestion that his comments before the Bournemouth game may have increased tension among home fans.
“I never mentioned a cup final, but I think we obviously know the importance of every game,” he said. “We’ve done the same thing in September, October, November, in the Champions League last year. I think the result of what you’re trying to achieve in the end, or the success or failure of your intention, is based on a result. And you have to accept that, because this is football.”
“Change the narrative” is another of Arteta’s favorite sayings and, in Saka’s absence for the foreseeable future, Eberechi Eze could have a vital role to play if they are to withstand City’s challenge. The English striker scored the decisive goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of the last round and is capable of providing the creativity that Arsenal has sorely lacked in recent weeks. He defended Arteta and has no doubts that they can still finish the season with titles.
“The boss speaks well, he’s passionate and you can see the fire he has in his eyes and in his mind. That’s being pushed throughout training camp,” Eze said. “We know the opportunity we have and we know what is at stake, what is possible and we have the opportunity to make history as a club. Regardless of what people say outside, it is about us here and what we are doing and believe massively, and we have a lot of confidence in what we are doing. That has been the main message: focus on what we are doing and let all the noise outside go.”
Asked if the scars of recent failures are affecting some of Arsenal’s players, the £67.5million summer signing added: “From what I can see, the team has so much faith and so much confidence. It’s one thing to have bad experiences, but what you do with them and how you move forward from them is more important. I see a team full of lads who are ready to help. The lads who have come in this summer are ready to help, but the mentality is strong.”