We Suffered Physically, Mentally, Says Ancelloti After Madrid Loss To Arsenal
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has revealed that the team is ready to write their Champions League history following a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Real Madrid.
The Gunners produced a stunning performance at the Emirates Stadium to brush aside the 15-time champions of the competition.
Declan Rice scored a brace while Mikel Merino added the third goal to put Arsenal in a good position to advance to the last four.
Arteta was full of praise for his players’ performances.
He said, “When you’ve not played against this team for 20 years, you’ve not had a proper run in this competition, you have to be prepared to write your own history.
“It’s on nights like that, that you can write your own history. It came from the collective and individual quality of our players. And now we have a lot more to give.”
Arteta urged the players to enjoy the win but to be mindful of getting complacent because they are just in the halftime of the tie.
He said, “We’re going to enjoy the win but we know it’s half-time and we’re going to have to be even better in Madrid. I was very convinced [this could happen]. I could sense in the build-up we could create a lot of problems.
“But you have to make it happen. If you have that mindset and belief, it can happen, you can deliver it. We did that but it’s only half-time.
The Spanish manager opened up on how the team achieved the incredible victory, while hailing Declan Rice’s set piece prowess.
Arteta said, “Declan’s been very determined because we have said in the last few months that we have not scored a direct free-kick in three-and-half years.
“So, to score two goals in 12 minutes of that magnitude and of that quality from the same player, a player that has never scored a free-kick before in his career, what are the odds?
“The night was all about two factors; one is the atmosphere that we created 15 minutes before kick-off with something I haven’t seen before. And then the magic, the individual moments that decide all matches. And the first two goals from Declan sum up the night.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti admitted that his side struggled physically, and mentally in the encounter.
He said, “It’s been very difficult for us. We thought the team were strong coming into the game, in the first half, we were organised.
“Then after the two goals we conceded from free-kicks, the team struggled mentally and physically. The level dropped.
“It was difficult, it was finishing the game that way. Normally this team raises their game towards the end of games, it was disappointing and poor.
“We have to be critical of ourselves here and do everything we can next week to recover.”
Ancelotti will be hoping his side can pull up a magic to turn around the tie in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16.
We Suffered Physically, Mentally, Says Ancelloti After Madrid Loss To Arsenal is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
