Mentee Meets Mentor: Arteta of Arsenal faces Champions League showdown with PSG Enrique
Standing next to him is a close friend who played a major role in the impressive transition from the court to the digging of his fellow countrymen.
Luis Enrique was a Barcelona senior star when Arteta was a career at Camp Nou, and this period had a significant impact on his management philosophy with Arsenal.
“He is very supportive of the young players and he is one of the main characters so far. I have a very good memory of him,” Arteta said.
“My love for him is that no matter where he has been, as a player or a manager, his fingerprints are all over the place.
“You can feel that this is the performance of his team, the way they want to attack and dominate the game.”
Students have already had better mentors this season when Arsenal beat PSG 2-0 in the league stage of Emirates.
But PSG has made a huge improvement since then, largely because Luis Enrique’s decision to turn Ousmane Dembele off Arsenal for discipline reasons inspired a great performance from the French striker.
Artta is willing to accept the cruel gambling he has.
“I admire his honesty. He will look into your eyes and tell you what he thinks. Ultimately, players will love that,” Arteta said.
“An incredible personality, a huge personality, a huge energy. I learned a lot from him.
“For me, he is one of the best coaches in the world and a person who helped me a lot. I have the greatest respect for his identity and the way he works.”
“He is one of the best coaches right now,” said Luis Enrique.
“He transformed Arsenal’s fate from a winning streak to one of the best teams in the world to compete for a championship.”
“Electrical atmosphere”
Although Arteta and Luis Enrique will surely share a private moment after the draw, they will master the friendship with the focus on ultimately giving Champions League glory to the club.
Arsenal never won the game, losing to Barcelona in the 2006 final, while PSG suffered recent torture, defeated by Bayern Munich in its only final in 2020.
Ensuring that the Holy Grail of Europe will immortalize Arteta in north London and eliminate any questions about his ability to win major trophys.
The Gunners have been out of silver for five years since Arteta won his reign in the FA Cup.
Arsenal entered the PSG tie and they were encouraged by the over-the-top sum of holder Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
However, they have spread in the Premier League, effectively handing over the title to Liverpool after a series of bland draws.
In Arteta’s defense, Arsenal suffered for most of the season, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus still being eliminated.
PSG has eliminated Liverpool and Aston Villa, and if they surpass Arsenal, they can match hats for the British scalp.
The key to Arsenal in their first Champions League semi-finals since losing to Manchester United in 2009 is that they are able to recreate the frenzy of Madrid in the last eight games.
“With our family crowd, there is a need for an electric atmosphere, they will push us forward,” Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard said.
Trossard can lead the attack on PSG, with interim forward Mikel Merino expected to return to midfield without a pause Thomas Party.
“We hope to be the same as last time. The fans were incredible at home against Madrid. If we could do that again, it would be amazing.”
