Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final next weekend and their boss Luis Enrique has delivered a clear verdict on Mikel Arteta
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique believes Arsenal are thoroughly worthy Premier League champions and is bracing himself to face the ‘best team in the world without the ball’ when the two sides clash in the Champions League final.
The Gunners’ 22-year wait for top-flight glory finally came to an end on Tuesday evening when rivals Manchester City drew at Bournemouth.
Jubilant scenes followed among Mikel Arteta’s squad, with Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber photographed at the Emirates Stadium in the early hours of Wednesday morning as thousands of Arsenal supporters flooded the surrounding streets in celebration throughout the night.
Arsenal will now turn their attention to Sunday’s final Premier League fixture at Crystal Palace, where they will be presented with the trophy, before all eyes shift to the European showpiece in Budapest on Saturday, May 30.
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Enrique is acutely aware of the dangers Arsenal pose, yet remains assured that his squad are more than capable of rising to the challenge as PSG bid to defend their Champions League title.
“I think they deserve to win the league – they have had a brilliant season,” Enrique said at a press conference.
“We have already played against this Arsenal side (in last season’s semi-final), so we know what they are capable of. Without the ball, they are the best team in the world, and with it they can score a lot. It is a wonderful combination for them.
“It makes sense that we are facing them in the final. We can look forward to a truly great final.” Having watched Arsenal finish as Premier League runners-up for three consecutive seasons, Enrique believes securing the title this time around is entirely down to Arteta’s relentless drive.
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He said: “When you look at Arsenal’s stats, you can see that Mikel Arteta is a leader as a manager, who has instilled a winning mentality in the team.
“They have been improving for several seasons now; they love the ball, but they are the best team in Europe without it.
“They won the Premier League and they’re in the Champions League final this year after reaching the semi-finals last season. They deserve to be there, and Arteta instils a competitive spirit in his players.”
PSG eliminated Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, progressing 6-5 on aggregate following a nine-goal spectacular in the opening leg. Enrique is keen for his squad to remain focused on reproducing the necessary performance standards against Arsenal once more.
He said: “The most important thing for us is to focus more on ourselves and less on the opposition. That is what we will continue to do.
“We are talking about the best club competition in Europe, so yes, there’s an element of adaptation – because the standard is very high.
“Bayern, for example, are a team who really like to have the ball, so we had to adapt, but I think we have managed to raise our game too and we are proud to be in the final again.”
PSG continue to monitor Ousmane Dembele, who is managing a calf issue, while Achraf Hakimi is aiming to return to training following his thigh injury.
