Arteta says last-gasp heroics shape Arsenal 'character' as PSG loom
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta addresses a press conference on the eve of their UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg football match against FC Porto at the Dragao stadium in Porto on February 20, 2024. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)
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Mikel Arteta said Arsenal's dramatic last-gasp victory against Leicester will help "shape the character" of the team as he prepares for Tuesday's Champions League showdown against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners
scored twice in injury time to win 4-2 on Saturday and finished the weekend
third in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal host
French champions PSG in a Champions League league-phase match at the Emirates
on Tuesday, seeking their first win in the competition this season after a goalless
draw against Atalanta.
Arsenal manager
Arteta was asked at his pre-match press conference about the importance of
winning games from different positions -- either by dominating games or with
last-gasp victories.
"It shapes
the character and the body of the team, that they have the certainty that they
can win in any context and adapt to very different contexts during
matches," he said.
"The
Champions League demands that, you can pretend to play against this kind of
opposition and dominate for 95 minutes.
"But it
does not happen at this level so you have to be really good in other phases as
well -- to stay in the game, to be comfortable and still always have the belief
and intention to win it."
Arteta is
expecting a tough match against the French league leaders, who will be without
France forward Ousmane Dembele, according to a source close the club.
It appears to
be a disciplinary measure following a heated exchange with PSG boss Luis
Enrique after Friday's 3-1 win over Rennes, according to French sports daily
L'Equipe.
Arteta, when
asked about the development, said: "We're going to prepare like we always
do with every possibility and let's see. They have many other options."
He added:
"They're really tough. They are exceptional and they dominate every phase
of play.
"They have
a very clear intention of how they want to dominate the game through the ball
and when they don't have it, they want it straight back. They are really
aggressive with it and they confront you."
Arteta, who
played for PSG as a young midfielder, said he was a "huge admirer" of
Luis Enrique, whose team beat Girona 1-0 in their Champions League opener.
"An
unbelievable personality, huge character, huge energy, always very supportive
with young players," said Arteta.
"What I
love about him is wherever he's been, as a player or a manager, his
fingerprints are all over the place. You can sense it's his team the way his
players behave, the way they want to attack and dominate games.
"The
spirit, the energy they have, he has this unbelievable power with all the clubs
he's been at, with the Spain national team."

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