Arteta vows Arsenal will use PSG final heartbreak as Champions League fuel
Mikel Arteta has described Arsenal’s Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain in May as a lasting “scar”, insisting the pain of defeat must remain a source of motivation as he begins a new four-year contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal reached their first European Cup final for 20 years last season, but were beaten by PSG on penalties after the match finished 1-1. Arteta said the setback had stayed with him, invoking Arsène Wenger’s view that defeats leave permanent marks on those involved.
“I still have the scar, like Arsène says,” Arteta said. “I still have that poison in my veins. It has to stay there because that’s when you learn, and that probably is going to be a massive driver for me and everybody.”
The Spaniard’s renewed deal was confirmed on Wednesday and follows a period in which he has restored Arsenal to the top of English football. He has already delivered a league championship, something no Arsenal manager had achieved for 22 years, and said that success carried significance beyond the trophy itself.
“It wasn’t just a trophy,” Arteta said. “It was a moment that we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives.”
Arteta sees further room for Arsenal to grow
Despite the title and the run to the Champions League final, Arteta believes the club remains at an early stage of its development. He pointed to Arsenal’s expanding global support, planning for future generations of the squad and the need to adapt quickly as football’s regulations evolve.
“Globally, with our supporters? Great. How are we going to build the next three squads? Great. How the rules of the game are going to change us, and how we’re going to stay ahead of that to take advantage? Great,” he said.
Arteta compared the work required to continual software updates, arguing that progress depends on maintaining and improving the standards already established. “This is going to happen if every single day we look after what we built,” he said. “We make it a little bit better, like software that is upgrading and upgrading. When can it stop is infinite.”
“It feels like it’s still a lot to do, and it’s just the beginning.”
Asked which match from his Arsenal reign he would choose to experience again, Arteta selected the contentious 1-0 victory over West Ham that moved the Gunners close to reclaiming the league title. The manager said the emotion of that afternoon convinced him the championship was within reach.
“This is football elevated to its best version, when a journey, a moment that can change so many people’s lives, goes one way or the other,” Arteta said. “You just pray because you know if it goes the wrong side, probably it’s gone again.
“That day when I went home, I said, ‘We’re going to be champions. It is our year. This has happened for a reason, and we’re going to get it done.’”
Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign after the international break with Saturday’s early match against Leeds United at the Emirates. A win would send them back to the summit before Manchester City travel to Liverpool on Sunday.
