Every word from Arteta’s post-Sporting presser | Press conference | News

After seeing us qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League once again by beating Sporting CP 1-0 on aggregate, Mikel Arteta answered questions from the media gathered inside Emirates Stadium.

He spoke about making history, the captaincy, the tension of the two legs and his post-match emotions, as well as much more.

Here is everything the boss had to say:

on writing our own history:
My message was gratitude to them. I know the effort, the commitment that they put in. There’s been a lot of work behind it, we’ve done something that has never been done in the history of our club in 140 years, so that tells you the difficulty of that. We have had to do it as well in a very special way, missing a lot of important players, so big credit for that. I’m especially happy for our supporters because they were right behind the team today and we’re going to have two magical nights, one in Madrid and another one here in London against Atletico, so I’m very proud of them.

on the physical strain on our players:
When I see them tracking back when we lose the ball, the habits that they have are just amazing. That’s why I know what they are doing, these players. That is the reason why we are the only English team in the competition, because this league and this schedule takes the hell out of you, and it’s very difficult to do what we’ve done. We are not perfect, we need to improve things, that’s for sure, we recognise that, but there’s value in what these players have done because they deserve it.

on Noni Madueke’s fitness:
I don’t know, it was something in his knee, so we had to take him off, so I don’t know

on the energy the team gave:
I saw it in moments of difficulty, when we give the ball away in circumstances that are not very much like us. How willing everybody is; Declan yesterday was shattered, he had no chance to play today, he wasn’t feeling good at all. Today, he played 94 minutes at the level that he’s done. Every single player is putting everything on the line to contribute, to give his best, and I really value that from the team.

on whether performances matter in these games:
It does, and you have to be better than the opponent. I think we had many peroids in the game when we were there, but we didn’t score the goal, we didn’t finalise the action well enough. We have many other things that are very important to get the result that you need in a tie. At this moment as well, it’s about the way you compete, and when you’re going to go and win titles, that’s what’s going to define the moments. We certainly did that tonight.

on building momentum after a big tie:
100%. This is a massive push to win the semi-final of the Champions League. It’s extremely tough, and we know what we’ve done. We deserve it, fully deserve it as well, and we’re going to enjoy it because we deserve it.

on why Declan Rice took the armband:
They made a decision because Declan has earned it as well. The status, the role, the way he’s taking ownership as well in difficult moments. He’s a great leader, he’s a top player for us, and I love the players to take ownership.

on if the outcome over the two legs is fair:
I don’t know. I’m the Arsenal manager, and I think it’s very fair what happened over the last two legs.

on feeling the tension in a goalless draw:
I do, but I prefer to score the goal, and especially when we have the transition when David throws the ball to Leo, to finish that action and the game is finished and it’s over. We then don’t even give that chance after the long throw, and suffer in the manner that we did in that action. But that’s something to learn and improve as well.

on his own emotions after tonight:
What happens in reality of where we are, I don’t know if the context and the reality are very much the same. I wish that we were doing the Arsenal documentary this season, and you could film the last 48 hours, and everything that has been said. But if we were watching the movie and say: ‘OK, what is Arsenal’s place?’ I think all of us will say they are in the bottom three. What are we talking about, guys? Please, enjoy where we are as a club. If someone doesn’t want to do it, so be it, we are enjoying it a lot. I feel huge gratitude for what the players are doing, and our supporters, so thank you.

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