Arteta praises duo for impact against PSV as Arsenal set up quarter-final with Real Madrid | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta praised the impact of fringe players Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko after the 2-2 draw with PSV Eindhoven.

The Gunners confirmed their place in the Champions League quarter-final with a 9-3 aggregate win over the Dutch side, setting up a mouth-watering clash with the competition’s reigning champions Real Madrid.

With the tie all but won after a 7-1 thrashing of PSV in Eindhoven last week, the Arsenal boss opted to make several changes to his team including starting both Zinchenko and Sterling.

Both have failed to nail down a starting spot in the team this season but Zinchenko opened the scoring with a curling strike from distance before Sterling set up Declan Rice for Arsenal’s second of the night.

And Arteta says it bodes well that both are impressing.

“I was very happy for him and for a lot of individuals as well that they haven’t had a lot of minutes recently,” Arteta said about Sterling.

“You could tell in the second half that we lacked the physical capabilities to make certain efforts and arrive to certain spaces at the right time. But overall, very happy that they got the minutes and they responded.”

On Zinchenko, he continued: “I think Alex’s finish was great. He’s got this ability to carry the ball and those spaces to put the ball in the back of the net.

“We’re really happy because we find another solution as well to fit his qualities and what the team is demanding at the moment. So, really good to have him in that condition.”

The attention now turns towards Real Madrid and Arteta is hoping his players can take inspiration from their previous Champions League campaign.

“Last year we played Bayern and with the history of those clubs and how consistent in the last 20, 25 years being there and we were right in there in the former game.

“We had them under the ropes, they escaped. And when we were there, we were a bit short to get that final stage. Hopefully, we’ll learn. We are better than them. And we can make it happen.”