Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is preparing to confront a key influence from his footballing journey as the Gunners take on Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals.
Arteta’s side will host PSG at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, aiming to reach only their second Champions League final in history.
Standing between Arteta and a potential final berth is a man who, alongside Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, played a pivotal role in shaping his managerial career. Luis Enrique, a senior figure at Barcelona during Arteta’s early playing days at Camp Nou, made a lasting impression on the young Spaniard.
“He was extremely supportive with the young players, he was one of the main characters by far. I have really good memories of him,” Arteta reflected.
“What I love about him is wherever he’s been, as a player or a manager, his fingerprints are all over the place.
“You can sense it’s his team with the way his players behave, the way they want to attack and dominate games.”
Arteta already has one victory over his former mentor this season, having guided Arsenal to a 2-0 win over PSG during the group stage at the Emirates in October. However, PSG have shown significant improvement since then, partly inspired by Luis Enrique’s bold decision to drop Ousmane Dembele for disciplinary reasons — a move that sparked the French winger’s resurgence.
Such decisive leadership is something Arteta greatly respects.
“I admire his honesty. He will look in your eyes and tell you what he thinks. In the end, players appreciate that,” Arteta said.
“An unbelievable personality, huge character, huge energy. I learnt a lot of things from him.
“For me he’s one of the best coaches in the world and someone who helped me a huge amount. I have the utmost respect both for how he is as a person and his way of working.”
Luis Enrique also praised Arteta’s accomplishments, acknowledging the impact he has made at Arsenal.
“He is one of the best coaches at the moment.
“He changed Arsenal’s fortunes from a somewhat winless streak to one of the best teams in the world that is competing for titles,” Enrique stated.
Despite their strong bond, both managers will set friendship aside as they seek to bring long-awaited European success to their clubs. Arsenal have never won the Champions League, their closest attempt ending in defeat to Barcelona in the 2006 final. PSG, meanwhile, are still haunted by their loss to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.
Delivering Champions League glory would secure Arteta’s legacy in North London and end a five-year trophy drought, with the FA Cup in 2020 being his only silverware so far.
Arsenal approach the semi-final buoyed by their impressive 5-1 aggregate triumph over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. However, domestic form has faltered, with a series of disappointing draws effectively handing the Premier League title to Liverpool.
Arteta’s squad has also been plagued by injuries, with key players like Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus still unavailable.
Meanwhile, PSG have already eliminated two English clubs — Liverpool and Aston Villa — and are targeting a third in Arsenal.
Playing their first semi-final since 2009, Arsenal will hope to replicate the electrifying atmosphere that powered them past Madrid.
“With the home crowd behind us, there needs to be an electric atmosphere, and they will push us forward,” said Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard.
Trossard is expected to lead the line against PSG, with Mikel Merino likely to move back into midfield to cover for the suspended Thomas Partey.
“We want the same as last time. The fans were incredible in the home game against Madrid. If we can do that again it would be amazing,” Trossard added.
