English → Arabic transcript

after a 0-0 draw with Sporting Lisbon and a 1-0 win on Agra. Great to see you, Mikel. Well done. Go on, you go in the middle. Oh, right. Whatever, it's fine. Let's talk about the game, Mikel. Congratulations, you're into the semi-finals. Tell us what it means to this club. It's a massive moment. It's the first time in our history in 140 years that we are back-to-back semi-finals. So, yeah, to be part of those four teams, it's something very special.

You have to earn it. You have to go through a lot of work and, yeah, big gratitude to the players. How would you analyse the game tonight? Was it a difficult game against Sporting Lisbon? Yes, it was always going to be. We had moments, probably in the first half, that we should have scored and maintained momentum, especially when we went into the final third. Much better. We allowed certain transitions. They are dangerous there.

In the second half, again, with the ball, there are moments that, at the moment, we have to improve a lot to have more control and dominance and finish much more actions. But when you talk about behaviours, attitudes, habits, the team, I think, was outstanding on that and that's what it takes you through. I thought you finished the game really well tonight and you managed the game.

That must have really pleased you. I know you don't want to think of it already, but we've got to throw it forward to the weekend. If the game would have carried on and it could have been a bit loose, but the lads seemed to just cruise through at the end. I think the last 15-20 minutes, we controlled the game really well. I think we set ourselves in the final third. We looked composed. We controlled the transition very well,

except for the last one we conceded. I was sitting next to Martin. You know you win there. But overall, obviously, it's a great night. I'm very happy as well for all of our people. Before you came over, we were talking about managers and I'm saying Pep's probably in that dressing room telling his players... By the way, he's saying publicly that we're the best team on the planet right now,

best in the world. But in his dressing room, he's saying other things. He's saying, we can beat them. We can catch them. How are you getting our team, the Arsenal team, to believe? Because for me, I think it's really important that the group believe this. I saw at halftime, there was a change. First half, maybe it wasn't the normal performance. Second half, I saw an improvement. Is that what you're injecting into this group? Because it can come

down to belief. It comes down to making the last step. We are making steps that haven't been done in this club for 140 years. So players deserve credit for what they're doing. But we're asking them, it's only that. If it's not that, then it's nothing. And it's not that. But what I love is the honesty that the players took after their defeat here against Bournemouth. When they sit down together, they analyse it, they set things face-to-face, they act on it. And then at the end,

you have to be on the pitch, Martin. We all know we can talk in the dressing room, we can talk beautiful things. But we need to put those words into action. And we certainly did that tonight. Just something tactically, at the end of the game, the team army man, Henri, is in the corner flag with his foot on the ball. He doesn't take the corner, just keeps it there. But tonight, the ball comes in the box, and then the ball goes to the other

end of the pitch. And then it's like, hold on, can you affect it then? Or is this the emotion of the team? It's the emotional experience. Ideally, you go in the manager's book. After 90 minutes, you play in the corner, you keep the ball there. But we've done that as well. I'm finishing the other end of the pitch. So at the end, players have to take ownership. They have to believe what is the best to do in the moment. They have decided that, so be it, we

stand by it. Mikel, Atletico Madrid next against Diego Simeone. Just tell me what you expect from that and how you're going to surpass them. Well, we will analyse them. Obviously, we played them here at the start of the competition, top side. I watched the game yesterday. That stadium is special. That's the moment that we want to live together as a team right now. So enjoy tonight. Tomorrow, we'll start preparing for the weekend

and then we'll have time to think about that. We'll let you go. Thank you so much. Congratulations. Well done. Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, celebrating the win.