In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Arsenal beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at home to advance to the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 3-1. Mikel Arteta was interviewed after the match.
Reporter: Congratulations on reaching the quarter-finals, your third big breakthrough this season. How does it feel?
Arteta: It feels fantastic. Achieving this is extremely difficult with so many strong teams competing; you really have to fight for it. But I think we fully deserved to go through based on our performance across both legs, especially our display today.
Reporter: You mentioned many strong sides. Sorry, let me check my phone to avoid getting the data wrong. I want to ask about the overall performance of Premier League clubs in Europe. Have you been following the results? For example, both Manchester City and Chelsea were eliminated on aggregate. What does this say about the standard of Premier League teams in Europe?
Arteta: There is absolutely no issue with the standard. The problem is the intensity and the congestion of the schedule, that is beyond any doubt.
Reporter: How do you cope with this packed schedule, especially with the possibility of competing for a quadruple still alive?
Arteta: We put in all our energy and passion into every single match and every training session. We also have a team of professionals helping the players recover quickly so they can stay in good condition and mindset despite playing every two or three days.
Reporter: You are in action again soon, with the EFL Cup final coming up. Declan Rice just mentioned a point many people don’t see: the mental toll of playing so frequently. As a manager, how do you deal with that?
Arteta: Things are going well at the moment because we keep winning. We are still competing in every competition, which is exactly our dream and what we want to achieve. As a manager, I need to keep motivating the team and passing on energy. So I have to stay in good shape myself every day. Of course, it’s much easier when you keep winning.
Reporter: That’s true.
Arteta: I always say winning and losing are two completely different professions.
Reporter: Let’s talk about Sunday’s match. You drew 1-1 with Manchester City in the league recently. Considering City just crashed out of the Champions League, they must be stung. How much of a psychological boost would it be for your team if you could win the trophy at Wembley?
Arteta: That’s exactly what we want. We are very close to the target now, but we still have to get it done against a top team. We will be ready to win the match.
Reporter: Are you confident?
Arteta: Extremely confident. I always trust my players and I firmly believe we can do it.
