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Mikel Arteta has once again insisted that Arsenal were better than Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League clash. The Spaniard added that he has watched the matches again and claimed that the stats were backing up his claim.
Speaking to the media ahead of Arsenal's clash with Liverpool, Arteta stated that it was 'crystal clear' that his side were better. He added that his side had better xG in the semifinals and said via GOAL:
"I stand by what I said, 100 per cent. I’ve watched it back, seen all the stats. When you look at all the important stats, the ones that give you the best platform to win football matches, it’s crystal clear who was better. With an expected goals of five against three, which we had over the two legs, normally you’re in the final."
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"If you face PSG and they blow you away, you shake hands and say, ‘We’re not ready still’. When you look them in the eye, suffocate them in the way we did there, you were the better team. But it’s not about the winning probability, it’s actually making it count."
Arteta spoke in the same tone immediately after the loss to PSG and said:
"I don't think there's been a better team in the competition from what I've seen. But we are out. We deserved much more but this competition is about the boxes."
Jamie Carragher was quick to hit out at Mikel Arteta for his comments. The Liverpool legend claimed that the manager had opened the club to ridicule and embarrassed himself.
PSG manager does not agree with Mikel Arteta's comments after Arsenal clash
Luis Enrique spoke about Mikel Arteta's comments and said that he did not agree with the Arsenal manager. He claimed that his side played well and deserved the win, though they suffered in the match.
He said:
"I don’t agree at all. Arteta is a great friend, but I don’t agree completely. They played well. They played the way they wanted to. We scored more goals than them. Arsenal played well, we suffered a lot. I think it’s the game in which we suffered the most. [But] we deserve to be in the final. They’re a great team too, but again, we scored more goals. Mikel Arteta almost killed me. They managed to stretch every ball. The team shows they have a lot of talent."
Arsenal lost 1-0 at home and were beaten 2-1 at Parc des Princes by PSG. The Gunners were 3-0 down in the tie when Bukayo Saka scored the lone goal of the semifinal for them.
