Mikel Arteta boldly reaffirms his claim that Arsenal 'deserved' Champions League victory over PSG, declaring, 'It's obvious who was superior,' while citing statistics
Mikel Arteta has doubled down on his claim that Arsenal deserved to beat Paris Saint-Germain in their ill-fated Champions League semi-final.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Arsenal were knocked out of the competition by PSG this week, suffering a 3-1 aggregate defeat across the two legs. Despite arriving in Paris hoping to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit, the Gunners fell to a 2-1 loss in the return fixture at the Parc des Princes.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Post-match, Arteta revealed he’d heard from PSG’s staff that even they believed Arsenal should have won, stating:
“I don’t think there’s been a better team in the competition from what I’ve seen. But we are out. We deserved much more but this competition is about the boxes.”
In response, PSG boss Luis Enrique said: “I don’t agree at all. Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree completely. They played well. They played the way they wanted to. We scored more goals than them. Arsenal played well, we suffered a lot. I think it’s the game in which we suffered the most. [But] we deserve to be in the final. They’re a great team too, but again, we scored more goals. Mikel Arteta almost killed me. They managed to stretch every ball. The team shows they have a lot of talent.”
WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID
Arteta has stood firm on his position, once again declaring: “I stand by what I said, 100 per cent. I’ve watched it back, seen all the stats. When you look at all the important stats, the ones that give you the best platform to win football matches, it’s crystal clear who was better. With an expected goals of five against three, which we had over the two legs, normally you’re in the final.”
He added: “If you face PSG and they blow you away, you shake hands and say, ‘We’re not ready still’. When you look them in the eye, suffocate them in the way we did there, you were the better team. But it’s not about the winning probability, it’s actually making it count.”
WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
Arsenal travel to Anfield this Sunday for their penultimate 2024-25 season fixture against Liverpool. Manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed his squad will form a guard of honor for the newly-crowned Premier League champions.
