Mikel Merino believes Arsenal are ready to win the quadruple this season after the Gunners continued their unbeaten start in the Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Lille at the Emirates.
Goals from Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka secured the comfortable win, extending Arsenal's run to 14 consecutive victories in the tournament's league phase. The north London club are aiming to go one better this season after losing last year's final to Paris Saint-Germain.
Merino's confident message
Merino, who started for just the second time in all competitions this season, struck a confident tone when asked about Arsenal's ambitions. 'It's an unbelievable run,' he told Sky Sports post-match. 'We know we're making history in the competition.'
'At the same time, we know how difficult it is to win games. We keep a lot of value and credit in the team for what we're doing. The goal is to win the Champions League, the Premier League, to win everything. That's what the manager wants. That's what the fans want. That's what we as players want as well.'
Asked whether the quadruple was possible, Merino said: 'Absolutely. This is the mentality. This is the aim. We were so, so close last season and that proved to us we are ready for it. Now it's about details, being present and ready in the right moments. And we believe that.'
Arteta praises substitutes
Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta hailed the impact of his substitutes in helping Arsenal pull clear of their French opponents. 'We had moments in the game – in the first half especially – in certain moments we arrived in very dangerous positions with a lot of advantage,' he said.
'Our technical quality wasn't good enough to deliver moments of real threat, and especially to be able to sustain attacks so well in certain transitions. The moment we made a change in terms of positions at half-time, our technical level increased, and we attacked the spaces where we thought we could hurt them. It was a joy to watch, the three goals were unbelievable, the connections, the timings, the quality they delivered to score.'
'Three different players, and more who participated in those goals, so overall, I'm very, very happy.'
Arsenal return to action next Sunday when they travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest.
