At Arsenal they call this their biggest game for 20 years. That says a lot about the work that Mikel Arteta has done to bring Arsenal back to this level, but also something about the lows they have experienced by the end of the Arsene Wenger and then.
Now that they are here, what is happening against Real Madrid in the next nine days is important. Not only in terms of the progress of Arsenal in the Champions League, but also in terms of where they really are in this phase of the evolution of Arteta.
On Monday, a large part of the rhetoric was about the size of the occasion and about pride and about atmosphere. Bukayo Saka – back in the fold after hamstring operation – said he hoped that Arsenal -fans would “create the most beautiful evening the Emirates have ever seen.”
More Mundanely, this has to be won. This is an Arsenal team in construction for more than five years, but that process has stalled this season, so the perception of a delay in travel has to change.
Liverpool suddenly looks like a non -striking presence at the top of the Premier League, but Arsenal – nine points on drift where they were last year – are not close enough to exert real pressure.
That already feels like a reason for regret and if their journey in the Champions League ends at this stage, that feeling will only deepen.
If that all sounds a bit cold and clinically at the door of such a big night, then it is. But that's how sport works at the highest level. It must be about progress and move forward. When that stops, ask questions.
Arteta is undoubtedly a great man manager and coach, but he spoke on Monday at the Arsenal training field about happiness and its effects.
Certainly, his team has sustained injuries in a very bad time. But the draws in Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Everton and a home defeat by West Ham have been more than accident than accident.
They have pointed to uncertain form and questionable planning, which has meant that Arsenal only lasted nine points of the last 18 to be available in the competition.
This dip has cost the side of Arteta a realistic chance of the title and will form the background of the analysis if Arsenal cannot overcome their underdog status against the defensive champions of Carlo Ancelotti, tonight in London and then in the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid a week for a week.
“We were far from qualifying for the Champions League when I became a member,” said Arteta. 'So we could forget playing two years in a row for the first time in 15 years in a quarterfinals.
“That is merit for the club. They have made many good decisions and many people have been involved in driving that boat as quickly as possible to reach this stage. Now everyone is still very dissatisfied because we want a lot more.
'I like to compete against the best. I love the best in a competition that has something very, very special and that we have no history of winning. So nobody can be hungry and desire more than we do. It is impossible. '
Last year's quarterfinals in the hands of Bayern Munich consisted of a 2-2 housing pulling and a 1-0 defeat in Germany. What costs Arsenal was clear. They had to win the first game and certainly they should do this here tonight.
Madrid is not without vulnerability. They lost at home from AC Milan and in Liverpool in the competition phase, but have undoubtedly improved since then. They were far too good for Manchester City in the second stage of their play-off to reach the last 16 and will present a barrier that became all the more formidable by reputation and experience.
The Great Spanish club has 15 European cups to their name and although they are four points behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga after Saturday's home defeat by Valencia, Ancelotti presented at his press conference of Emirates as a guy who may have a half idea about what he does.
“Experience and knowledge in this competition is really important,” said the 65-year-old, who won the competition seven times as a player and manager.
'It means that you are not afraid to play this kind of game that puts you under a lot of pressure. It is a very important competition. It's personal. The fact that we have many players who have played many of these games, gives the younger players more confidence. '
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of sentiment and arsenal in that respect in that respect.
Thibaut Courtois – the former goalkeeper of Madrid – has recovered from a muscle injury and is expected to start. While he correctly respected the threat that Arsenal of Set pieces brought, his manager may have a bit excess while he held an eye of that famous eyebrow in the track that Arteta has done in North London.
“He built a complete team,” said Ancelotti. 'There are not many complete teams in Europe. There are teams that do some things well, but not much that do everything well as Arsenal does.
'Arsenal is one of the most important clubs in Europe and Mikel Arteta has done fantastic work. From 2020 he did very well. The team is stronger than in the past and will be even stronger in the future. '
Arsenal is undoubtedly transformed on Arteta's watch. On Monday his team trained under the gaze of the new sports director Andrea Berta of the club. The future should remain about growth.
But the here and now is also important. Madrid will not see the game of this evening as a party, just a new step on a well -taken road. Arsenal also needs a bit of that attitude.
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