03/01/2026
Arteta on the Victory: “Yeah, very happy. We knew the difficulty of the match. It's a team that constantly is threatening you, is asking you questions. They are so good and attracting you, play the ball long to the right player with the right duel, the second ball, counter pressure.
“And to get out of that game is difficult. We made it even harder for ourselves in the manner that we conceded the first one.
“But I love the character of the team. I love the character of Gabi [Magalhães] The way he overcame that situation, it's just unbelievable.
“And it tells a lot about how much we've grown and matured over the years. And the team found a way to be a massive win.”
Arteta: “I really love today. The next step of the team in terms of individual personality and presence. I think what Gaby Magalhães has done after making a big mistake, conceding the goal. The way he reacted to that, the way he played afterwards, the way he transmitted energy after that, it was remarkable.
“And Declan [Rice], another one. Every hour for him was important to be able to be available today. We didn't know for how long. So in the manner that he competed, played, and on top of that scored two goals, I think it was outstanding and a really big message for the team.”
Arteta on Declan Rice: “Again, another one that has put so much in the last few days to make himself available today. We didn't know for how long, so he has stretched himself to the very limit. He got rewarded. The team got rewarded with two great goals.”
Arteta: “Declan [Rice] is constantly adding things to his game. He's constantly adding things to his role in the team. And I don't see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve. So, yeah, he's such a pivotal player for us.”
Arteta on Rice: “He was so disappointed not to play against Villa. He really wanted it. He tried in the morning. It was nowhere near a possibility. He wanted to train the next day, wasn't a possibility unt
