'Arsenal 100% the best team in competition' - Arteta

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal were the best team in this season's Champions League. This is despite their semi-final loss to Paris St-Germain.

Arsenal needed to overcome a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. They played at Parc des Princes, aiming for a final against Inter Milan. The Gunners created several chances but struggled to score. Bukayo Saka's late goal came too late, as PSG had already scored twice.

Arteta expressed pride in his players after the match. He said, "We were very close, much closer than the result showed." He added that Arsenal was the best team he had seen in the competition. However, he acknowledged they are out of the tournament now.

He noted that success in this competition depends on strikers and goalkeepers. PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma excelled in both matches.

After failing to reach their first final since 2006, Arsenal players were emotional. Arteta described them as being in tears in the dressing room. He felt upset and annoyed about not turning around the tie.

PSG boss Luis Enrique disagreed with Arteta’s assessment. He stated his team deserved to reach the final because they scored more goals overall. Enrique praised Arsenal but emphasized that scoring is what matters most in football.

The Gunners started strong but missed early chances. Declan Rice headed wide, while Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard forced saves from Donnarumma. Saka also tested him again later but missed another clear chance at 2-1 down.

Arteta highlighted that PSG's goalkeeper was crucial in both games. He mentioned that results could have been different if luck had favored them earlier.

Despite disappointment, Arteta found positives in his team's performance. He stressed the importance of having a full squad available for such competitions.

Arsenal will end this season without a trophy for the fifth consecutive year. Arteta previously led them to an FA Cup win in 2020 during his first season.

They finished second in the Premier League for two seasons running now. When asked about motivation after another setback, Arteta shared insights from PSG captain Marquinhos' experience with failure and resilience.

He emphasized that fear cannot dictate how one plays football at high levels. Players must learn to deal with setbacks if they want to compete for trophies consistently.