Arteta: “Some called Messi a psychological ‘obstacle’ for Arsenal in the Champions League”

After seven years, the Arsenal returns to the knockout stages of the Champions League and will face Porto, wanting the “Dragão” to take the lead in qualifying for the quarter-finals.

At the press conference, Mr Mikel Artetawas asked if the Gunners have any… mental problems in the Champions League, with the Spaniard humorously stating that in the past many people said that Arsenal’s problem was Lionel Messi for the excellent tradition he had with him or Bayern Munich who had also faced the English team several times.

“Are Arsenal having a mental block in the Champions League?“, a journalist asked the Spaniard, who replied in a humorous way: “Someone called Messi another obstacle as well, and Bayern Munich, who we faced three times. This event is what it is. Individual quality is very important. It’s all down to the details and you need your players at their best when the occasion arises. We will definitely need it tomorrow“, he initially said and continued:

“It must be incredible to have that feeling of lifting that cup, in London on June 1st. It is fantastic (what it has achieved so far). We have earned the right to be here. It’s been seven years since we’ve been in the top flight of this type of competition and 14 years since we’ve made it to the next stage. That’s the challenge. We know what lies ahead, but we’re very excited to face it and we’ll do it with all our faith, that’s for sure“, while on whether he talked to the players about it European elimination series: “No, I haven’t had any discussion about it. They know we haven’t been in the event for seven years, obviously, as some of them have been here and know the history. They know that what happened in the past is irrelevant, it is the challenge and ambition that is now before us».

Finally, he was asked if winning the Champions League is the pinnacle for a coach: “It is one of them. I don’t know if it’s the best, but it must be incredible to have that feeling to lift that mug in London on the 1st of June. It is there. It’s on our minds. It’s a dream, but first you have to earn the right to do many things, and tomorrow we have a big obstacle. We look forward to it».