Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta defended his “exceptional” side against criticism on Tuesday and backed them to prove their quality in the Champions League semi-final clash against Atletico Madrid.
The Premier League leaders scraped a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday after a run of three matches without victory.
Arsenal have struggled to play with fluidity in attack and Arteta agreed his team could improve in that regard, but said reaching the final four was evidence enough of their quality.
“We have to do better… (and) we want to improve in every department,” Arteta told reporters on Tuesday.
“But at the same time, to be where we are sitting here tonight, we have to be exceptional, one of the top four teams in Europe to be here. So imagine how difficult that is.”
Arteta said his team’s morale was boosted by beating Newcastle to provisionally move ahead of Manchester City in the English title race and backed them to dominate against Diego Simeone’s side in the Spanish capital.
“After that win, a massive win for us against Newcastle, you could sense straight away the energy, the confidence coming into this game,” continued Arteta.
“It’s a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row, in the semi-finals of the Champions League, representing our club and it’s quite an opportunity.
“We’re going to grab it with both hands. You’re going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, that wants to start to decide the tie tomorrow.”
Arsenal have never won the competition, finishing runners-up in 2006, and 20 years on are looking to return to the final.
“These are the stages we want to be in, and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality in the last nine months,” said Arteta.
“Now is the moment to make a statement and show how good we are, how much we want it, and make it happen.
“It’s clear, the opportunity is in front of us, and we have to attack it.”
The coach confirmed Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber will not be fit to play but said Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori were ready.
Severe storms are forecast in Madrid on Wednesday but Arteta brushed off their potential impact on the first leg.
“Imagine the amount of games that we have played in different scenarios, different contexts, against different opponents,” he said.
“We’ll adapt to the conditions tomorrow in the best way possible to be ourselves and win the game.”
Enjoying the pressure
Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard said matches like these were the kind he dreamt about playing as a child.
“How can you not enjoy it? We’re playing in the toughest and most competitive league in the world,” said the Norwegian.
“We’re at the top, fighting for the title, we’re in the semi-final in the Champions League.
“It’s hard to understand how you can not enjoy that. That’s what we’ve been dreaming about our whole life, since I was a kid.”
Odegaard admitted Arsenal would have to live with the near misses of seasons past, including last season’s semi-final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, until they are able to go one better.
The Gunners have finished as runners-up in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons.
“It’s always going to be there until we win it and that’s something you have to live with,” admitted the playmaker.
“We need to take all those experiences and the lessons and use it in a good way. I think that’s a part of football.
“It’s part of the journey and we have to live in the moment. At the moment we’re doing really well, we’re in an amazing position in the league, in the Champions League, and that’s what we have to focus on.”
