10 wins. Three ties. 28 goals scored. Six conceded. Eight clean sheets. Arsenal’s form in Europe this season has been near perfect.
If they maintain that level tomorrow night, they will reach their first Champions League final in 20 years.
This has not been a sudden increase. He has built himself step by step since his return to competition. A quarter-final loss to Bayern Munich, the heartbreak against Paris Saint-Germain last year, each a lesson, each bringing them closer to this moment.
Now it is Atlético de Madrid, led by Diego Simeone, a coach who knows exactly how to handle nights like this. He has twice taken his team to the final, but like Arsenal, the Champions League still eludes them. The first leg at the Metropolitano offered no resolution, Viktor Gyokeres and Julián Álvarez exchanged penalties in a duel that could have gone in any direction.
Now it all comes down to this. One night, one performance, one chance to turn progress into something much more meaningful.
“Go and get it,” Arteta said of his message to both players and fans.
“When you are faced with an opportunity like this, it means that you are ready to deliver. And the team is going to go from the first minute to achieve it.”
After the shame of last year’s weak and much-derided semi-final tifo, the club has worked closely with fans to offer a matchday preparation more appropriate for the occasion. Fans will line the streets around the Emirates to greet the team bus, and a new tifo, this time designed with care and consideration, will be unveiled before kick-off.
Arteta could not hide his anticipation at the atmosphere.
“I can’t wait. I feel the energy within and between the team, our fans. These are the moments we want to live together.
“I don’t think a message [to the fans] what is needed, that is, what is at stake, says it all. I think it’s the occasion, it’s the moment, it’s the game. Let’s live this together and make it happen.”
“We are very hungry,” he added. “It’s difficult to express the desire to live that moment. Especially with our people: they have been waiting for a long time to have these kinds of nights. Try hard tomorrow because something incredible is going to happen.”
With less than a month of the season remaining and honors still up for grabs on two fronts, thoughts naturally turn to the finish line. Arteta was asked if he had allowed himself to imagine captain Martin Odegaard lifting cutlery.
Having spent six and a half years at the helm, urging patience and faith when others doubted direction, the manager’s response was revealing.
“I did it many years ago. [it’s] What I had in mind for this club.
“You can never promise to win important trophies, [but] you can promise to work every day on the vision and implementation [it] and be determined with the ideas and decisions that lead this club to be one of the best in Europe.”
At the weekend, with team changes, Arsenal recorded a 3-0 victory over Fulham that served as a timely reminder of their quality. It was the first time in nine games that the Gunners scored more than once, and it lifted spirits across the club. A couple of hours later, Atlético enjoyed their own boost of confidence, beating Valencia 2-0 at Mestalla with a completely rotated team.
“For us it was a great preparation,” Arteta reflected. “It’s the preparation and the schedule we had. We maximized it in every period, and the team has a lot of energy and is ready to go for more.”
“We didn’t do anything related to tomorrow’s game. Everything was related to Fulham and what we had to do to win the Premier League, and that’s what we did.
“I think it left a very good taste in everyone’s mouths; the players, the team, the fans, and now we have to build on that momentum for tomorrow because it’s exactly what we need.”
There was also a boost in team news, with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz available for selection. Neither took part in this afternoon’s open training session, but both appear to have recovered enough to take part, even if only from the bench.
Arsenal may have taken advantage of their luck at times in the first leg, but they may also feel aggrieved by the penalty disallowed by Dutch referee Danny Makkelie.
A second goal might not have resolved the tie, but with the score tied, the equation is simple. Win and Budapest awaits you on May 30.
“For us it is a dream to be here with the opportunity to reach the Champions League final in front of our fans,” Arteta said.
“It’s something we haven’t experienced in a long time and it’s going to be very special.”
