Sport

Mikel Arteta has built his Arsenal team for European glory

As statement wins go, Arsenal away victory over Real Madrid was about as impressive as they come. Away to the defending European champions, in a stadium with the aura of the Santiago Bernabéu, Mikel Arteta’s team came of age as they eased through to the Champions League semi-finals with relative comfort.

It was a demonstration of everything Arsenal have become under Arteta. They had control of the game in and out of possession. Faced with arguably the most fearsome frontline in the game, the Gunners had no trouble keeping Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham at arm’s length. Real Madrid only scored due to a rare William Saliba mistake.

After a disappointing Premier League campaign, it was a night that reframed Arsenal’s entire season. Now into the final four of the Champions League, the Gunners have a genuine shot at glory. They are three wins away from becoming European champions for the first time in their 138-year history as a club.

By sweeping aside Real Madrid so easily, Arsenal showed they are a team built for European success. Only Inter Milan have a lower goals conceded per match average than the Gunners in the Champions League this season with Arteta’s team widely considered the strongest defensive unit in the Premier League when everyone is fit.

In midfield, Arsenal demonstrated their ability in possession over two legs against Real Madrid with Declan Rice particularly impressive. The England international’s two freekicks in the first leg will live long in the merry, but his performance at the Santiago Bernabéu was an even better showcase of everything he offers.

Bukayo Saka was another who caught the eye in the Spanish capital. Without Saka, Arsenal are guilty of being laboured in their possession play. They can be too predictable in the attacking third. Now that Saka is back from injury, though, the England international is once again at the peak of his powers.

Saka is the player who gives Arsenal a completely different dimension down the right wing. He is a funnel into the opposition penalty area such is the speed and direct with which he plays. Paris Saint-Germain could struggle to contain Saka in one-on-one situations just as Real Madrid in the competition’s quarter-finals. He will produce something at some point.

For many, PSG are the favourites to win this season’s Champions League. Under Luis Enrique, the French giants have taken a big step forward with their last 16 elimination of Liverpool a statement of intent for a team that looks coherent and clear in its approach since the departure of Mbappe last summer.

If PSG have a fault, however, is that they don’t always create the clearest of opportunities from open play. If Arsenal can stop the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from finding chances inside the box, they could shut down the recently crowned Ligue 1 champions.

Tuesday’s match at the Emirates Stadium could be decided by what unfolds in the centre of the pitch. This is where Arsenal have significant strength in Rice and Martin Odegaard while PSG boast arguably the strongest midfield unit in European football at this moment in time. Indeed, Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz are exceptional as a trio and as individuals.

Arsenal have grown season-on-season under Arteta and while this season’s Premier League campaign was underwhelming, they have found their best form in the Champions League. Europe has been the final frontier for the North London club for decades, but it could be where Arteta and his players have their crowning moment.