David Raya in his 37 Champions League appearances for Arsenal:
◎ 88 saves
◎ 21 goals conceded
◉ 20 clean sheets
He's saved 80.2% of the shots he's faced. 🧤
Thierry Henry: “All of Arsenal’s 10 goals this season have come from open play! When we were only scoring from set-pieces, people were saying it, so I’m saying now 10 goals have been scored from open play & it could’ve been more!” 🤣❤️
🎥 @CBSSportsGolazo
🚨 Declan Rice on Arsenal’s ambition in the Champions League this season:
🗣️ Declan: “I think sometimes people are afraid to say what they really want because they think it sounds arrogant.
You say, ‘We want to compete.’ Compete for what? You say, ‘We want to have a good run.’ How good is a good run?
If you’re playing in the Champions League, there has to be a point where you look around and say, ‘Why not us?’
We were in the final last season. We know how close you can get and still walk away with nothing. That feeling stays with you. You don’t forget it when the new season starts.
But you also learn from it.
The Champions League is not about playing beautiful football for eight months and getting a certificate at the end saying you were impressive. There are nights when you suffer. There are nights when you don’t have control of the game. There are nights when one tackle, one save or one moment of quality changes everything.
You have to be comfortable living in those moments.
Look at our squad. Bukayo can change a game without needing five chances. Martin can control a match when things become chaotic. Viktor gives defenders a completely different problem. Eze can receive the ball in a tight space and create something nobody else has seen.
Then you have the midfield. Zubimendi brings calm. Bruno brings energy and aggression. Merino understands big moments. We don’t all have to play the same game.
That’s important in Europe.
Because one week you might need to control the match. The next week you might have to fight for every second ball. Then you go away from home and suddenly the stadium is against you and the game becomes something completely different.
You need different answers.
And I think we have them.
People will talk about Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona, PSG and they should. These clubs have earned that respect.
But respect doesn’t mean fear.
If Arsenal are standing in front of you on a Champions League night, you have a problem to solve as well.
We know how difficult this competition is. We’re not going into it thinking somebody is going to move out of our way because we want it badly.
But we’re not entering it hoping to make up the numbers either.
We came close before.
This time, we want to make sure nobody sends us home.”