On Tuesday we return to the Estadio Jose Alvalade for the first time since early 2023, but Mikel Arteta says his team looks completely different from that meeting with Sporting in the Europa League.
Back in March 2023 we drew 2-2 in the Portuguese capital in the first leg of the Europa League knockout round, before being defeated on penalties in the return. Five of our players who featured in that first leg have since left the club, and the manager said he watched the game back recently and barely recognised his team. He said it shows how much the team have progressed over the past 18 months or so.
“It’s normally a good exercise to see the team a few years back and I watched both games back to have an understanding,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
“How we prepared them, what worked well and what didn’t, it’s difficult to recognise the team two years later. You tend to see and look at the game and other stuff in a different way, but it was good.
“It seemed longer ago to be fair, in a way, but here we are again. The good news is we are now in a different competition, a competition that we really want to win, be dominant, be important and this is where we are.
“Every team evolves and talking about Sporting and what they’ve done, it’s been unbelievable. And we have, as well, progressed very much compared to where we were two years ago so it’s going to be a good test.”
Sporting head into this game having won all 11 of their league games so far this term, and unbeaten in their four Champions League ties. However that was achieved under Rube Almorim who has defected to Manchester United, but Mikel feels the quality he brought into the squad and their style of play means it'll be a tough ask to beat Sporting, but one we can achieve.
We haven't tasted success on our European travels in our last five away games, but having come close to registering a fine result against Inter Milan last time out, Mikel belives we're on the right track to ending that run.
"It’s certainly something we have to improve," he added, "We have the right steps, and looking back at the way we played against Inter, against a team that has been so dominant in the league, were in the Champions League final and should have won it. We played and dominated the game we should have won.
"But the reality is you have to make it happen, and we didn’t. Those steps are what we have to take next, be ruthless and be much more efficient in the opposition box, and when we get there do what we have to do to take the three points away from here.
"The run [Sporting] are on is incredible, that tells you it’s not only about their qualities, but their ambition, the team energy they have, that’s a great challenge we have. To come here tomorrow, make a statement and show that we are capable against this kind of opponent to be ourselves and win the game."
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