With the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal just days away, confidence is high in the London camp. Mikel Merino, the Gunners’ 28-year-old midfielder, spoke with determination after his team’s narrow 0-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium in the first leg, underlining Arsenal’s ability to compete with the very best, even in hostile environments such as the Parc des Princes.
Merino “With all due respect, I think we’ll win the return match”
“Paris is a tough place to go, but we’ve always proved we can compete with anyone, and with all due respect, I think we’ll win the second leg.
We’ve proved we can win anywhere, at the Bernabeu (by beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the second leg of the C1 quarter-final) and against any Premier League team as well, which gives us a lot of confidence. The result (at the Emirates) doesn’t change anything because the mentality of this team is always to win, even if we were three goals ahead before going to Paris.”
Talking before a match can sometimes be counterproductive. Too many analyses, promises or provocations risk creating unnecessary pressure on the players or galvanizing the opponent.
Sometimes, silence and concentration are far more effective than letting the pitch speak for itself. In soccer, as in many other sports, it’s often the actions on the pitch that count, far more than the words exchanged beforehand.
Merino may want to put pressure on PSG, but a Champions League semi-final is bound to be fraught with pressure. In soccer, you have to remain humble, which doesn’t stop the players from believing, but it also allows his team to prepare as calmly as possible. Because you don’t win big games with quotes.
