Arsenal: Mikel Arteta wanted fire but Gunners limp to semis – does style matter?
For Arteta, it does not matter that his team does not produce free football; All Arsenal wants is to get over the line and lift the trophy this season.
They have to get results without many key players injured. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori will not be able to play against Sporting.
Declan Rice played despite being unwell.
And now there are fresh concerns about their top-flight clash with Manchester City on Sunday, with winger Noni Madueke limping off with a knee injury.
Asked if he sees the physical pressure on his players at the moment, Arteta said: “Yes, but when I see them stepping back when we lose the ball, the habits they have, it’s really great.
“There’s a reason why we’re the only English team in the tournament, because this league and this schedule tires you out and it’s very difficult to do what we do.
“We are not perfect, we need to improve some things, that’s for sure, we are aware of that. But what these players have done has value because they deserve it.”
Former Manchester City and QPR defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport: “The fact that they are in their second Champions League semi-final in a row is huge. “Their performance wasn’t perfect but they just wanted to be in the next round and that’s where they are.
“On a different day maybe they would create more chances and maybe score more goals. They didn’t score many goals but they are still in the last four.”
Onuoha referred to the words of captain Rice, who said Arsenal wanted to “go one step further”.
“They will look at this game and the things they could have done better, but the reality is there are a lot of clubs in Europe that are not in their situation at the moment and would be absolutely delighted to be there,” he said.
“This was certainly not a flashy performance like some teams in Europe have put on in the last few games, but Arsenal still showed they have as good a chance as anyone.
“For example, we saw a Real Madrid team that scored four goals in two games and was eliminated.
“They only needed one from Arsenal, so you can give them credit for their two clean sheets across two draws, and that’s what they needed to be in this particular moment.”
