Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes last season’s Champions League semi-final defeat will serve as fuel for this year’s campaign as the Gunners chase their first-ever title.
“You take a lot of learnings from it. It’s painful because it’s about the expectation we created and the conviction we had that we could go all the way,” Arteta said ahead of Tuesday’s opener at Athletic Bilbao.
“We showed a very high level of consistency and quality throughout the competition and we’ll learn from it and try to be better.”
Arteta admitted that fortune plays a role in Europe’s elite competition. “We are good enough, we can compete against any opposition, but you need a full squad available and then the ball has to go in at the right moment. The margins are so small.”
Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Saliba, Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Ben White for their Group Stage debut. Athletic return to the tournament after 11 years away.
Goalkeeper David Raya, who reached 100 games for the club last weekend, also reflected on his journey since replacing Aaron Ramsdale in 2023.
“When I came to Arsenal, there was a lot of noise, and it was understandable. I just had to focus on myself. Off the pitch, I just try to be deaf, basically,” he said.
Raya, who has kept 42 clean sheets, echoed his manager’s ambition: “We have belief, we want to win, we are Arsenal and we play to win. That’s what we play football for, but it’s a long journey.”
