Mikel Arteta has hailed Arsenal's progression to the Champions League semifinals as a significant morale booster, despite the team's underwhelming performance against Sporting on Wednesday. The Gunners managed to secure a 0-0 draw at home in the second leg of their quarterfinal tie, with Kai Havertz's solitary goal in Lisbon proving sufficient to book their place in the last four. This achievement marks the first time in the club's history that they have reached consecutive semifinals in the competition.
However, their display on Wednesday night was far from impressive, with the team mustering only one shot on target. When asked if advancing in the Champions League would have a positive impact on their crucial Premier League match against Manchester City this Sunday, Arteta responded, '100 percent, it's an enormous lift. Reaching the Champions League semifinals is extremely challenging, and we deserve to enjoy it.' Arsenal's recent dip in form has raised concerns about the team's ability to maintain their nerve as they approach the season's climax. A defeat to City on Super Sunday would allow Pep Guardiola's side to level with the Gunners on points at the top of the league if they win their game in hand.
Nevertheless, Arteta remains confident in his squad's mental strength. 'I wish we were filming the Arsenal documentary now,' he said. 'Consider the last 48 hours and everything that has been said. We're watching the series in July, and then we have to ask ourselves, 'Where are Arsenal placed?' We would all say, 'They're in the bottom three.' What are we talking about?
Let's appreciate our current position as a club. If someone doesn't want to, I think it's strange.' Arteta added, 'There's a reason why we're the only English team in the competition – this league and schedule take a toll on you.
We're not perfect, and we need to improve, but there's value in what these players have achieved.' Despite reaching a second consecutive Champions League semifinal, Arsenal continue to struggle in front of goal. The Gunners had a 0.64 xG across the entire game on Wednesday, and their lingering inability to create scoring opportunities could still allow City to close the gap in the Premier League title race. 'It was always going to be challenging,' Arteta told TNT Sports after the second leg against Sporting. 'We had moments in the first half where we probably should have scored.
There are moments with the ball where we need to improve significantly, to have more control, dominance, and finish many more actions.' Viktor Gyokeres was substituted before the hour mark on a difficult night against his former club, having scored two goals in his last four appearances but managing only 14 touches throughout the game. When asked by a Portuguese journalist why he substituted Gyokeres early, Arteta explained, 'With Viktor, I thought the game required something else – a different type of number nine who could link up and create more. There was no space to run, and we fell for that.'