LONDON — Mikel Arteta has encouraged Arsenal supporters to “appreciate our current position” after the team advanced to the Champions League semifinals, despite ongoing criticism of their performances.
The Gunners secured their spot in the last four with a 0-0 draw against Sporting CP on Wednesday, setting up a matchup with Atlético Madrid.
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This marks the first instance in the club’s history of reaching back-to-back semifinals in this prestigious tournament, although they managed only a single shot on target, relying on their determination for a 1-0 aggregate victory.
Currently leading the Premier League, Arsenal continues to face scrutiny regarding their ability to end a six-year trophy drought after losing the Carabao Cup Final to Manchester City and exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Championship side Southampton.
Arsenal has never clinched the Champions League trophy and is striving for their first Premier League title in 22 years.
Arteta referenced the Amazon “All or Nothing” documentary that followed the team during the 2021-22 season, suggesting there has been an unfair level of criticism directed at his squad following a challenging stretch.
“I wish we were filming the Arsenal documentary this season so you could capture what has been said about us over the last 48 hours. When we watch the series in July, we might find ourselves questioning, ‘Where do we think Arsenal stands?’
“I believe many would argue we are in the bottom three based on that criticism. So, what are we discussing here? Please, enjoy our position as a club.”
“If anyone chooses not to, that’s their decision. We are enjoying this and I feel immense gratitude for the efforts of our players and the support from our fans, so thank you.”
Arteta also highlighted that Declan Rice exceeded expectations by playing the entire match against Sporting after missing training the previous day.
“Declan was exhausted yesterday,” said Arteta. “He had no chance to play today; he wasn’t feeling well at all, yet he played 94 minutes at such a high level.”
“Every single player is putting everything on the line to contribute their best, and I truly value that effort from the team.”
Noni Madueke will require an assessment ahead of Sunday’s crucial match against City, who trail Arsenal by six points with a game in hand, after being substituted on Wednesday due to a knee issue.