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Mikel Arteta jokes he wanted to ‘slap’ one Arsenal player after seeing what he did vs Real Madrid
Arsenal have qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League after a convincing win against Real Madrid over two legs.
The Gunners went into the second leg with a three-goal lead. At any other ground, they would’ve been the favourites, but many people believed Real Madrid would make a comeback.
However, Mikel Arteta got his tactics spot on once again, and almost every single one of his players stepped up and delivered.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli gave Arsenal a 2-1 win on the night, taking the aggregate score to 5-1.
That is emphatic, but not everything went Arsenal’s way against the Galacticos.
Mikel Arteta jokes he wanted to ‘slap’ Arsenal star Bukayo Saka during Real Madrid clash
Saka was once again one of Arsenal’s best players on Wednesday night.
David Alaba, who struggled against the Englishman in the first leg, continued to have problems and was even booked very early in the game for a foul on the Gunners’ number seven.
Saka’s first big moment in the game came after Mikel Merino was fouled inside the box, and Arsenal were awarded a penalty.
The 23-year-old had the chance to give Arsenal a 4-0 lead from the spot, but Saka’s attempted Panenka failed – Thibaut Courtois went the right way and saved it comfortably.
In Arteta’s press conference after the game, a reporter asked in Spanish: “What came to your mind when Saka missed that penalty kick in the beginning of the game? Did you want to tell him off? Did you want to die? What did you want to do?”
The Arsenal manager replied, as relayed on translate by Beanyman Sports: “Well, I wouldn’t like to die but maybe I would like to slap him (laughs).
“No, the player has to make the decision of doing what he thinks is the best thing to do. He made that decision, he was bold enough to do it, he missed.
“I was more concerned about the emotional part, what it could mean for us. In the end, the other penalty that wasn’t a penalty kick later on – something was created that wasn’t good for us.”
Bukayo Saka proved why he is world-class
When Saka missed his penalty early in the first half, many fans feared the worst.
Real Madrid supporters felt at the time that the tie had swung in their favour, and things could’ve gone very wrong for the Gunners.
However, Arteta’s men defended brilliantly when they had to and showed no fear to attack the Galacticos in their own backyard.
Saka could’ve easily let the missed penalty eat him up during the game, but the Arsenal star continued to cause Real Madrid problems. In the second half, he got a chance in front of goal, and he dinked it over Courtois‘ head to score.
That shows his elite mentality, and we don’t think anyone can deny that he is a world-class footballer anymore.