Mikel Arteta hailed Luis Enrique for their time at Barcelona ahead of the Champions League final. The final match of the European club season arrives with the Champions League final, where Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique was a veteran at Barcelona during the early years of Mikel Arteta, who reflected on their brief time together as players.
Arteta said: “I remember him very well for the way he treated young players and for what he represented as a player. As a coach, he has shown the leadership to stay true to his path despite all the noise around him, and he ended up winning the way he did. He is an example for everyone.”
Saturday is the day Arsenal could cap off their best season ever if they win their first Champions League title after claiming the Premier League in historic fashion. The clash of styles between the two Spanish managers only adds to the appeal.
Arteta on injuries
Arsenal were the clear favorites to win the Premier League because of how they played in the first half of the season. However, their form dropped so sharply this year that Manchester City pushed them all the way until the race was tied with a few matches left.
Arsenal won their first Premier League since 2004 (Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League)
In the end, Arsenal finished on top as they did not even need the final match to secure the trophy, but for their manager, it was not far from becoming a different ending because of the many injuries he dealt with.
Arteta said: “If I put all the injuries into a machine and asked it for the probabilities of winning the Premier League, it probably would have given me 2%. My job is to find new formulas to end up winning.”
Arteta on pressure
Winning the Premier League was not easy for Arsenal after leading for so long and losing the previous two titles by a narrow margin. That could have added a huge burden to this final if they had also lost the league race. Instead, it may become a major boost for their confidence.
Arteta said: “There is a part of joy and another of relief. We now have to use that as a tsunami of emotion, excitement and hunger to win the Champions League. I’m very confident. For 90 minutes, this will be showtime.”