Arteta eyes “beautiful” Porto win despite Arsenal star’s “horrible” admission
Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to create something beautiful against Porto tomorrow night.
Yet their tense, ugly win on Saturday evening may have been the best preparation possible for a first Champions League knockout triumph in 14 years.
The Portuguese side will arrive in north London with a one-goal lead and a mission to spoil. Brentford provided what centre back William Saliba said was “a different game” to what the Gunners have been used to in the Premier League this year. And the experience should serve them well.
Thomas Frank’s side set up in a compact style that will mirror Porto - and they almost pulled off a shock draw in a fractious, stop-start encounter.
It is all well and good sticking half a dozen past pliable opposition. But the composure and nous required for a late victory against a dogged, street-smart side is another vital component of an elite outfit.
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This eighth straight league win not only kept the momentum building but offered up firm evidence that Arsenal have the mental strength required to overcome a Porto team featuring some experts of the dark arts.
“We know we have the capacity to score at any moment,” Saliba said. “But sometimes it’s good to win like this, at the end. We can’t win every game five nil or six nil but it was good mentality from the team. We came with good intentions and scored at the end.
“This wasn’t an easy game but we have to keep going. We knew we could score in the second half, we had the capacity and the quality. We didn’t give up. That’s good for the team.”
William Saliba has been a crucial part of Arsenal's title-chasing defence. (David Price/Arsenal FC)The key to stopping Arsenal is by denying them an opportunity to get into a rhythm and Porto will disrupt whenever possible. Brentford often do a fine job of staying just on the right side of the line when it comes to causing a nuisance.
And in a position where a single point can be vital for survival, they worked diligently to frustrate Arsenal at 1-1 while still threatening on two notable occasions.
Saturday’s encounter lasted 105 minutes but the ball was in play for only 49min 26 sec - some way lower than the league average of just under an hour.
Saliba is expecting similar delaying tactics to be employed tomorrow evening, with Arteta already putting in the work to whip the home fans into a frenzy.
“Bring your noise, bring your energy, bring your passion,” he said. “Something beautiful is going to happen.”
William Saliba reacts alongside Ben White during the first leg away to Porto, which Arsenal lost 1-0. (PA)Among the XI players selected, however, calmness and patience will be required alongside determination not to let whatever antics Porto conjure up to get inside their head. “We know they are smart,” Saliba said. “We have to compete with that but we will be ready.”
Arsenal’s Premier League credentials are in no doubt but tomorrow is their first opportunity to prove they can be Champions League contenders. “Of course,” Saliba added. “We have to win, we can’t wait.”
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There remains a question mark over whether Arsenal can get a bit nasty, too, when required and this may be an ideal moment to prove it. That said, Saliba thinks their recent Premier League dominance has been a nightmare for opponents.
“I think we were horrible [to play against] in the last seven or eight games,” he added. “Now we have to keep going like this.”
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