Arteta’s three keys to victory as Arsenal face “unpredictable” Real Madrid
Ahead of the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Arsenal and Real Madrid, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta sat down for an interview with AS.
Kitted out in a tracksuit and looking every inch like he could still be a player, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta sat down for an exclusive interview with AS and the EFE news agency, just days before Real Madrid’s Champions League visit to the Emirates Stadium.
Although Arteta told reporters yesterday that the quarter-final first leg is not a “bigger game” than this weekend’s Premier League clash with Everton - mathematically, leaders Liverpool remain within reach - he acknowledged to this newspaper that eliminating Madrid would “of course” represent a crucial boost for Arsenal’s project. His project.
Having spent five years in Arsenal’s midfield before embarking on his coaching career, Arteta returned to North London to take the managerial reins in 2019 - at a time when the club was “in a very, very difficult situation in every aspect”, he recalls.
Five seasons later, on the back of two Premier League title battles with Manchester City - led by his mentor Pep Guardiola - and another with Liverpool, Arsenal is once again competing head-to-head with the biggest teams.
“The aim is to win games and win major silverware - and we’re challenging‚” Arteta told AS. Indeed, it felt like ‘win’ was the word most used by the Basque coach during our interview. It’s what motivated him to rejoin Arsenal as head coach, and it’s what he wants to do in Europe against the 15-time continental champions.
Question: Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Magalhães, Gabriel Jesus, Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz... You’ve lost several key men to injury for significant periods this season. So just how miraculous are your achievements so far this term?
Answer: “Well, the team has a culture and a level of resilience that allows it to adapt to any situation. That has enabled us to get to where we are now, despite everything that has happened to us. It’s not just the injuries, but also the five red cards, which for a big team in the same league season is a lot. All credit to the boys: they have so much desire, they haven’t given up, they haven’t looked for excuses or turned their backs on a challenge. The aim is to win games and win major silverware - and we’re challenging.”
Q: As a club, you’ve reached a point where you’ve gone from surprising people with the way you’ve turned into a contender once more, to being under pressure to finally win the top silverware. How do you handle that change?
A: “Well, it’s great that we’ve managed to change perceptions about the club in that way, because it’s not easy. Particularly as we were so far away from the top… That’s why there were so many people who thought it would be much harder to do. The demands placed on us are a by-product of the levels we have reached and the levels people think we can reach. You have to take that in a very positive way because it means you’re close to achieving what you want.”
Q: And how long can Arsenal afford not to win the top silverware?
A: “I don’t know, but if you keep on knocking on the door, eventually it will open. If this league is the best in the world, it’s the best league in the world for a reason, and that’s because there are several teams that are all capable of winning it. There’s no silverware for the team that gave it their best shot; the trophy only goes to one team that has earned a different tag entirely. And I don’t want to say the word [laughs].”
Q: Winning the Premier League would be a crowning achievement for the project you’ve been building at Arsenal. But would Champions League victory over Real Madrid - a club often called the “kings of the competition” - be a significant and almost definitive boost for the project?
A: “Of course. In the end, we have to know where we are and what our history is. This is the first time in 15 years that the club has made it to consecutive Champions League quarter-finals. And like that, there are many other steps forward that we’ve been taking. We have to create our own history, and that means reaching this knockout tie, winning it, and getting into the semi-finals. That’s the next challenge we have to meet.”
Q: Can this tie against Madrid even be understood as a route to a kind of vindication? For you, by silencing the doubters; for the club, by reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since the 2008/09 season; for Martin Ødegaard, by knocking out his former team as Arsenal’s captain...
A: “I don’t feel that way - I just feel excitement. I think we got the opponent that excites us the most because they have historically been seen as the kings of the competition, and deservedly so. We have an opponent that will demand the maximum from us in the Europe’s elite club competition. So let’s get stuck in.”
Q: What needs to happen for Arsenal to eliminate Real Madrid?
A: “First and foremost, we need to be better than them, believe in ourselves from the first whistle and get things right in the key moments. We know only too well that in the Champions League, matches are decided in the two penalty areas.”
Q: The problem is that, against Madrid, being the better team doesn’t always mean winning...
A: “That may be so, but if you’re worse than them, your chances of success are even lower [laughs]. We might not have any chance if that’s the case.”
Q: Against Real Madrid, you’ll be without Gabriel Magalhães, who is injured. How much does his absence affect your game plan? He is one of the leaders of the defense and an authoritative voice in the locker room, as well as being a major attacking weapon on set pieces...
A: “Yes, on top of what he gives us in footballing terms, Gabi means so much to the team because of his presence and personality, the leadership he shows. But we have lost him, and we will have to tweak things. We have to play in a way that brings the best out of each player at our disposal. We’ll think about our game plan and look for different ways of coming out on top.”
Q: Another key player is Ødegaard. Having seen him become Arsenal’s captain and leader, as well as one of the best players in the Premier League and Europe, Madrid fans may think: “Why didn’t he succeed here?” What has happened at Arsenal for him to become the player he is now?
A: “Well, like all footballers need to, he has found his place, he’s been given the time to show what he is capable of out on the pitch. He has earned his place from the first day he arrived. At that point, he didn’t have the role he does now, and he has earned it with his performances, with his personality, the way he is as a guy. He has won us all over. He’s competing at an exceptional level.”
Q: How much does the way you prepare for a match change depending on the opponent? How much do you take into account the fact that the opponent is Real Madrid? Or are you more focused on what your team can do?
A: “The majority of the preparation we do is based on us, always. But, when it comes to the opponent, how much we focus on them, what percentage and on what things, Real Madrid comes with a factor that is the emotional factor. On top of that, there’s the predictable part of what they do as a team, and then there’s the absolutely unpredictable part of what they do: their ability to simply conjure up moments. That’s just something they have about them. We can talk about it or try to predict it and try to stop it, but it’s part of their game and what they are and their greatness as a club.”
Q: How do you work to counteract such unpredictability?
A: “There are things we will try to do and talk about. It’s very easy to stop the video today and look back on what happened that day at the Santiago Bernabéu [in Madrid’s 2022 semi-final comeback against Manchester City], but the key is to be able to stop it when it happens. We have to know it and recognize it because it’s a very important part of what they do. The same goes for us: when we are able to create those moments, we are a very dangerous team.”
Q: Does your Arsenal team, which has itself staged several epic comebacks, also have that potentially key emotional strength?
A: “Absolutely. For me, in knockout matches, the teams that win a lot do so because the home stadium creates a frightening atmosphere. An energy, something special, an environment where anything can happen. Then, in big matches, big players have to make their mark. These are moments for big players to be at their highest level - otherwise, it’s very difficult.”
Q: And does Arsenal have those big players?
A: “We have them, and we have to ensure they shine in these big moments. That’s the step we have to take.”
Arsenal vs Real Madrid: when, where, how to watch?
In the first leg of the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-finals, Arsenal hosts Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, with kick-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT.
Viewers in the United States can watch the game on Paramount+, ViX, TUDN USA and Univisión. You can stream TUDN and Univisión on the online platform fubo, which offers new users a free introductory trial.
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