Barely 24 hours after lifting the Premier League trophy, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his team are getting ready for a historic double in their Champions League final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park to wrap up their incredible domestic campaign which saw them being the only side to end the season without a red card or conceding a penalty.
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However, Arteta has already set his sights on the biggest game in European football which is scheduled to hold in Budapest on May 30. The Gunners boss is determined to ensure that Sunday’s celebrations do not dull his side’s competitive edge ahead of the Champions League final.
“We need that energy to flow and going against that, I think it will be a big mistake,” Arteta said. “We talked about already what we have to do in Budapest, how we’re going to use all the incredible energy that we’re all carrying towards that final, and tomorrow we’re going to start to prepare it.”
Arsenal have never won the Champions League, their closest attempt being in 2006 when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the final in Paris. Arteta hopes to rewrite history and immortalise his current squad by lifting the trophy on Saturday.
“And we can’t wait to write a new chapter in the history of our club and lift the Champions League,” the Spanish tactician added.
Arteta won the FA Cup in his debut season as Arsenal’s manager in 2020. With the Premier League title in his capable after three seasons of near-misses, the Gunners boss believes his current squad is capable of so much more.
“I said to the boys that this shirt now represents something else,” Arteta explained. “We are the champions, and that brings a lot of confidence and a different kind of presence and energy to it. But as well, another kind of responsibility as well. My job now and everybody at the club is going to be lift those standards now and achieve much more, because I think we are capable of doing it.”
