AHEAD of Arsenal hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, Gunners’ coach Mikel Arteta spoke about PSG as well as his time spent in the French capital.
Still a teenager, the Spanish Coach and former midfielder left Barcelona’s academy to sign for the Parisian giants and in doing so rubbed shoulders against some of Europe’s elite such as Ronaldinho and Jay-Jay Okocha.
“That really was a dream for me, I was so blessed, and I had so much energy at that time so I couldn’t wait for that opportunity, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Arteta on the eve of the match.
“My family and I were in Barcelona, and we got the phone call that you need to fly to Paris now! You are 17 years old and haven’t got any professional football experience, so you look at those names in the PSG team and ask yourself, are they sure they got the right person?”
Despite showing clear admiration for his former side, Arteta remained confident in his team’s ability to perform on the night with particular emphasis on Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhães.
“(Magalhães) has proved to everybody how committed he is to the team and to the club. His performances have been undeniable especially the standard he is setting for the team and in the way we defend.”
Having played out a goalless draw away to Atalanta in their first game of the newly revamped Champions League format, Arteta’s side are under pressure to respond strongly in Paris.
“We’re going to try and win the Champions League but now it’s about doing the job tomorrow against PSG. We are very far from even thinking about or dreaming about that (Champions League Final).”
