Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal evolution needs jumpstarting. Only a victory against Real Madrid will do, writes IAN LADYMAN
At Arsenal, they are calling this their biggest game for 20 years. That says much about the work Mikel Arteta has done to drag Arsenal back to this level but also something about the lows they experienced towards the end of the Arsene Wenger years and beyond.
Now that they are here, what happens against Real Madrid over the next nine days feels important. Not just in terms of Arsenal’s progress in the Champions League but in terms of where they really are at this stage of Arteta’s evolution.
On Monday, much of the rhetoric was about the size of the occasion and about pride and about atmosphere. Bukayo Saka — back in the fold after hamstring surgery — said he hoped Arsenal fans would ‘create the most beautiful night the Emirates has ever witnessed’.
More mundanely, this needs to be about the winning. This is an Arsenal team more than five years in construction but that process has stalled this season, so perception of a slow-down in travel must change.
Liverpool suddenly look like an unconvincing presence at the top of the Premier League but Arsenal — nine points adrift of where they were this time last year — are not close enough to apply real pressure.
That already feels like a cause for regret and if their journey in the Champions League ends at this stage then that feeling will only deepen.
Arsenal are preparing for what has been dubbed their biggest game in 20 years on Tuesday
They will take on Champions League title holders Real Madrid in two legs over next nine days
If that all sounds a little cold and clinical on the doorstep of such a big night, then so be it. But that is how sport works at the highest level. It has to be about progress and moving forwards. When that stops, questions fill the void.
Arteta is undoubtedly a fine man-manager and coach but he spoke at Arsenal’s training ground on Monday about luck and its effects.
Certainly, his squad has suffered injuries at a very bad time. But the draws at Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Everton and a home defeat by West Ham have been about more than misfortune.
They have pointed to uncertain form and questionable planning, which has meant Arsenal have taken just nine points from the last 18 available in the league.
This dip has cost Arteta’s side a realistic shot at the title and will form the backdrop of the analysis if Arsenal cannot overcome their underdog status against Carlo Ancelotti’s defending champions, in London on Tuesday and then at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid a week Wednesday.
‘We were very far from qualifying for the Champions League when I joined,’ said Arteta. ‘So we could forget about playing in a quarter-final two years in a row for the first time in 15 years.
‘That’s merit to the club. They have made a lot of good decisions and a lot of people have been involved in driving that boat as fast as they possibly could to get to this stage. Now everybody is still very unsatisfied because we want much more.
‘I love to compete against the best. I love to be challenged against the best in a competition that has something very, very special and that we don’t have any history of winning. So nobody can have more hunger and desire than us. It is impossible.’
Mikel Arteta was relaxed as he discussed the progress the Gunners have made under him
Kylian Mbappe and Co were too strong for Man City in the play-off round of the competition
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had some warm words to say about counterpart Arteta
Last year’s quarter-final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich comprised a 2-2 home draw and a 1-0 defeat in Germany. What cost Arsenal was clear. They needed to win the first game and for sure they need to do so here on Tuesday.
Madrid are not without vulnerability. They lost at home to AC Milan and at Liverpool in the league phase but have undoubtedly improved since then. They were far too good for Manchester City in the second leg of their play-off to reach the last-16 and will present a barrier made all the more formidable by reputation and experience.
The great Spanish club have 15 European Cups to their name and although they are four points behind Barcelona at the top of LaLiga after Saturday’s home defeat by Valencia, Ancelotti presented at his Emirates press conference like a bloke who may have half a clue about what he is doing.
‘Experience and knowledge in this competition is really important,’ said the 65-year-old, who has won the competition seven times as a player and manager.
‘It means you are not afraid to play this type of game that puts you under a lot of pressure. It’s a really important competition. It’s face to face. The fact we have a lot of players who have played a lot of these games gives the younger players more confidence.’
It is hard to overstate the importance of that sentiment and Arsenal start at a disadvantage in that regard.
Thibaut Courtois — Madrid’s former Chelsea goalkeeper — has recovered from a muscle injury and is expected to start. Whereas he was correctly respectful of the threat Arsenal bring from set-pieces, his manager possibly over-egged it a bit as he cast an eye from beneath that famously arched brow at the job Arteta has done in north London.
‘He has built a complete team,’ said Ancelotti. ‘There aren’t many complete teams in Europe. There are teams who do some things well but not many that do everything well like Arsenal do.
Former Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois is expected to return in goal for Real Madrid
‘Arsenal are one of the most important clubs in Europe and Mikel Arteta has done a fantastic job. From 2020 onwards he has done really well. The team is stronger than in the past and will be even stronger in the future.’
Arsenal have undoubtedly been transformed on Arteta’s watch. On Monday, his team trained under the gaze of the club’s new sporting director Andrea Berta. The future should continue to be about growth.
But the here and now is important, too. Madrid will not view Tuesday evening’s game as a celebration, merely another step on a road well travelled. Arsenal desperately need a bit of that attitude, too.
