Mikel Arteta has not yet moved on from the Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain. Speaking to The Athletic—comments reported by Le Parisien—the Arsenal manager describes a lingering sense of disappointment that he wants to harness as a driving force.
Mikel Arteta: “I still have that poison in my veins.”
“I still have that scar, as Arsène puts it.”
“I still have that poison in my veins. It needs to stay there, because that’s how you learn, and it will undoubtedly be a tremendous driving force for me and for everyone else.”
Winning the English league title—after a 22-year wait—did not wipe the slate clean. That is understandable: losing a final on penalties after a 1–1 draw leaves plenty of time to replay the night over and over in one’s mind. For PSG, these words also highlight the significance of that victory from the opponent’s perspective.
Four months later, the experience still weighs on Arteta. His desire to turn that frustration into motivation is understandable, even if simply dwelling on the pain isn’t enough to make progress. The real challenge lies in channeling that feeling into the work itself, without becoming a prisoner of the result. Immediately after the match, Arteta had also expressed his admiration for PSG’s style of play and the work done by Luis Enrique.
Mikel Arteta: “We have to improve—end of story.”
“I congratulate PSG, and Luis Enrique in particular, because in my view, they are the best team in the world. What they are capable of doing with the ball is unprecedented. We have to improve—end of story.”
This is arguably the most interesting point for Paris: Arteta was not merely acknowledging the winner, but the quality of the football they played. A final decided by a penalty shootout does not, in itself, justify declaring a massive gap between two teams.
His assessment of PSG’s performance therefore carries more weight than the mere result. And his final remark has the merit of being clear-cut: disappointment calls for hard work. One can understand his regrets without needing to ridicule them. From the Parisian perspective, hearing such a deeply affected opponent acknowledge that quality of play adds an extra layer of satisfaction to the victory.
