Arsenal have all but secured a place in the top eight of the Champions League group phase after strolling to a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.
Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard got the goals on an evening when the opposition fans – who spent most of the first half lobbing stuff on the pitch – were more of a menace than their own players.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos made of the action…
Mikel Arteta on his side’s win…
Very happy to win again at home, not concede a goal, a clean sheet – I think it’s four in a row in the competition – and it’s a massive step, we’re very, very close to achieve the goal that we had before the group stage started, so very happy.
Source: TNT Sports
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Dinamo Zagreb manager Fabio Cannavaro on his first competitive game in charge
Of course, it’s never easy when you concede a goal at the beginning of the game. After that, we stabilised and played as a team. In the second half, we conceded two goals. We worked on that for two weeks. I’m not happy when we concede goals, because I was a defensive player, of course I don’t like it. But I’ve also seen a lot of good things. Now we’re turning to the national championship.
Source: Sportske Novosti
Only 1 game to go in the Champions League!
🔹Arsenal as good as guaranteed of Top 8
🔹Feyenoord, Real Madrid, Celtic, PSV qualify for Top 24🔸City with 36% of being eliminated
🔸PSG still with 14% of elimination — direct matchup against Stuttgart in the final round— Nils Mackay (@nilsmackay.bsky.social) January 22, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Odegaard on qualification to the knockout stages being all but secured…
That was the goal. With the new format, you didn’t know how many points you needed and all that. That’s been the key thing, to just take it game by game now, and make sure we’re there. That’s what we want, so we’re happy and it’s looking good, but we have to finish the job.
Source: Arsenal.com
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Dinamo defender Samy Alexandre Mmaee on a tough encounter…
It was a difficult game; we knew that before coming here. We tried to stay together and stick to the plan. I think we didn’t give them too many chances. They did score three goals, but I think we played as a team and tried to defend as a unit. We did a good job at this. I think we can be more brave with the ball. In the first half we were a little bit, not scared, but lacking the confidence to play. In the second half, we tried a little bit more to control the ball and make some good plays, but it was not enough today.
Source: Uefa.com
Arsenal have kept eight clean sheets in their last nine Champions League games at the Emirates Stadium.
— Orbinho (@orbinho.bsky.social) January 22, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Declan Rice on breaking down low-block sides…
A lot of teams now come here and play a back five, with four in midfield and one up front, so it’s really hard to break down. To get that early goal really settled us and then it’s just about being patient and not being sloppy. There were a few times we took too many touches and we nearly got caught out. In the second half it was really positive. We chose when to press well and in the end got two great goals, which was a real positive note.
Source: Uefa.com
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Cannavaro on Arteta…
He is a great guy, a great professional, he has a healthy philosophy. When you have been at a club like this for so long, then it is clear that you have the trust of everyone. It is not easy because the competition in England is huge and they certainly want to win a lot.
Source: tportal.hr
2 – Declan Rice has scored Arsenal’s first goal in the opening two minutes of a UEFA Champions League game since Yaya Sanogo against Borussia Dortmund in November 2014. Microwaved.
— OptaJoe (@optajoe.com) January 22, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Rice on building momentum in the second half of the season…
I hope so. What I learnt from last year is that you need to be there or there abouts at this time of the season and we are at the minute. Look, we need to keep winning games. I think the game at the weekend, 2-0 up [against Aston Villa], we drew 2-2 it’s a real kick in the teeth, we should be seeing it out but to bounce back tonight and win and now we go into Wolves. It’s been a tough month but keep being positive and we go again.
Source: TNT Sports
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Martin Odegaard on the need for reinforcements…
I think with the injuries we’ve been a little bit short but you look at the team we have so much quality so if we can keep everyone fit then that’s the main thing and we have to focus on the players that are here. Today we all did well.
Source: TNT Sports
At his current rate of scoring, Kai Havertz is on course for the most prolific campaign of his career. If he keeps this up, he’ll go past the 20 goals he scored for Bayer Leverkusen in 2018/19. #AFC
— Sam Dean (@samjdean.bsky.social) January 22, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Rice on missing a gilt-edged chance…
I’m so annoyed [not to score a second], honestly. I had the same position against Man United in the cup and I missed and the same there. Look, I’m getting in the right positions playing 8 and obviously scored a good goal in the first half but I’m annoyed I didn’t get the second, I’ve got to be a bit more clinical. But to get my first Champions League goal, it’s taken me two seasons, but I’m so happy.
Source: TNT Sports
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Uefa’s Technical Observer Panel on the decision to award Havertz the man of the match award…
Havertz impressed with the frequency and quality of his movement, producing a very nice assist and finishing well for his goal.
Source: Uefa.com
Arsenal 3 (2.2)-(0.2) 0 Dinamo Zagreb
— Scott Willis (@scott.cannonstats.com) January 22, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Arteta on Havertz matching last season’s goal tally (14) already…
What do you think about it? Brilliant. It shows the perspective against the reality sometimes, that’s what it shows you know, good stat.
Source: Post-game press conference
115 – Tonight was the first time in the last 115 occasions that Man City have lost a game in all competitions where they led by 2+ goals. Shock.
— OptaJoe (@optajoe.com) January 22, 2025 at 10:18 PM
(👆Whoops, how did that get in here 😬)
Arteta on Rice being frustrated at not scoring a second goal…
Especially because in the last few games he had some big, big chance – that’s it. The more he’s there, the more consistently he’s in the positions with the quality he has, he will score a lot of goals.
Source: TNT Sports
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Arteta on an injury scare for Myles Lewis-Skelly…
I’m not sure. He jarred it in the game against Villa and he thought it was okay and he finished the game and the next day it wasn’t bad. And then yesterday he wasn’t feeling right so he started the session and he wasn’t feeling good so we need some more tests tomorrow. Hopefully, it’s nothing big but the games are coming very fast.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Owen Hargreaves on Kai Havertz…
Everybody goes on about Kai being a centre forward, I love him, I know he’s not a striker but actually, he gives you so much. I know he’s not [Victor] Osimhen or Harry Kane, he shouldn’t be your main striker, but he’s a brilliant option off the right, playing as a 10 or as a false nine. I think he does it brilliantly. I think he gets far too much criticism.
Source: TNT Sports
Rob holding, you know…
Just a brief comment on that completely irrelevant non-Arsenal quote. Ha ha ha ha ha. Or, to elaborate a bit: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
didn’t expect Yaya Sanogo to come up tonight.
Yaya Sanogo has more FA cups than Harry Kane.
Shout out to Eduardo da Silva who impressed Arsene Wenger playing for Dinamo Zagreb in this competition all those years ago. Fun facts: – We hosted DZ almost 20 years ago in 2006. The visitors also featured a certain Luka Modric in their starting lineup. – We came from behind to run out 2-1 winners, the club’s first ever win at Emirates Stadium – Baby faced Theo Walcott, 16, made his debut for us and set up Flamini’s stoppage time winner – Imagine being taken seriously with a defense featuring Justin Hoyte, Johan Djourou, Emmanuel Eboue and Manuel Almunia, with… Read more »
That’s some trivia there. Really did we start that back 4 and Almunia? We still had Jens, Sol, Ashley and Kolo that season and they all started in the CL final (along with Eboue, which is insane. Emanuel Eboue, RB in a CL final against Ronaldinho and Eto’o 🤦).
Zero fucks given by Arsene, inveterate idealist and unshakeable believer in his own pupils.
So happy for Kai. His stats are looking good. People kept saying we need a 20+ goals a season striker and he’s well on course to be that. Stay in the CL long enough and he could hit 30. People criticised Giroud the same way, he only cleared the 20 mark twice in 6 years yet when he left people started saying how good he was and how much we missed him. Just like with keepers, striker’s off days are far more noticeable and they come in for a lot more criticism. While I understand the clamour for Sesko and… Read more »