“Finishers more important than starters”: Arteta praises Martinelli and Trossard

Overview

• Arsenal began their UEFA Champions League 2025/26 campaign with a 2-0 win over Athletic Club.
• Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scored goals to ensure the win.
• Mikel Arteta heaped praise on those players and hailed their ability.

Arsenal began their UEFA Champions League 2025/26 campaign with a 2-0 win over Athletic Club in Bilbao, Spain. However, it was their two substitutes – Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard – who scored goals to ensure the win.

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After the game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped praise on those players and hailed their ability to change the course of the game.

While speaking to reporters, Arteta said: "Sometimes the finishers will be more important than the starters this season. And in the end, the finishers made the impact to win the game. They [substitutes] are at least equally important, and maybe more important, in that stage of games.”

"I have to make decisions" - Arteta

"It's always very difficult emotionally to leave players out. I know how much they want to play in this competition and what it means to them. And every time you give the lineup, you're disappointing a lot of players,” he added.

"They know how I feel about them, so they know that when I have to leave a player on the bench or out of the squad, it hurts me. But the only thing I can do is my job. I have to make decisions and I have to make decisions based on increasing the priority of winning football matches. And they know that that's the only reason why I'm going to make certain decisions — sometimes right, sometimes wrong," Arteta said.

The Arsenal manager also praised Gabriel’s attitude, commitment, and positivity.

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"I adore Gabby. His attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he's willing to do for the team. I don't know about externally, but we certainly value all the qualities that he has and that he brings to the team. And I'm so happy that today he decided the game,” Arteta said.