Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta, said, the Gunners are definitely “going for more”.
The Spaniard made the statement following his side’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the Uefa Champions League quarter final second leg at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday 16 April, 2025.
Arsenal progress to the semis of the tournament with a 5-1 aggregate win over Carlo Ancelotti’s Los Blancos; the English side will slug it out with Paris Saint-Germaine (PSG) in the last four.
Arteta hailed Player Of The Match, Declan Rice, and goalscorer, Bukayo Saka, following their beautiful performances for the Gunners on Wednesday night.
According to arsenal.com, in his post-victory comments, Arteta said:
On if he’s ever felt prouder of his players:
“Probably not. Not only because we’re in the semi-final for the third time in our history now, but also because of the way we did it. Not only because of the way we played, but also because of the circumstances, the amount of injuries we had. That shows the character of this team, of this club, and it’s a night to be very proud of.”
On Declan Rice’s performance:
“He was decisive today in a different way, I think it was immense. His presence, the power that he showed, how composed he was, with or without the ball, I think he led the team in many moments and turns the game in our favour. I think that’s why we need players at his level to step up and have a big contribution, and he certainly has done that.”
On if we can go from challenges to winners:
“It’s certainly another massive step. Where we finished last year and the way we’re doing it this year, the teams with their eyes on us and the competition, it’s incredible. Big credit to [Madrid}, it was my first time as a coach in that dugout and today I realised after three minutes in this stadium, anything is possible. They are specialists of creating such chaos and belief, and it’s very difficult to understand really what’s going on in the game and have certain certainty about how we controlled it. I think they showed a lot of maturity.”
On Bukayo Saka’s character:
“I can go on and on with individuals and a lot of different cases, I will answer in that same way. With Bukayo, he stepped up, he didn’t score, obviously, that could be a turning point emotionally in the game because it gives him a lot of belief. But then the way he handled the situation, the way he played afterwards, and the personality that he showed at his age. It’s the first time he’s played in this stadium, it’s incredible.”
On what tonight shows in our evolution:
“It’s been quite different before because it was impossible to be in any round because the club wasn’t in the Champions League for seven years. So, that shows you the turnaround, and a lot of great decisions that the club has made and the contribution a lot of people have made to be where we are. It’s a team that you can feel today how hungry, how determined and ambitious that is to go. We’re going for more, for sure.”
Photo: arsenal.com
