Martinelli previews Arsenal's champions league semi final first leg with PSG
28/04/2025
uefa25 champions league
28/04/2025
uefa25 champions league
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SportsTranscript
00:00so if there are any french speakers
00:04hi guys hello guys thank you all for coming um we will kick off with some questions in english so
00:26james if you want to start us off gabby great to see you the first champions league semi-final for
00:31arsenal in 16 years just how big is this opportunity to do something really special
00:37hello uh i mean it's gonna be a big game uh we're we're really confident uh we know the
00:45qualities that we have of course it's uh psg it's it's an amazing team they've got a really
00:51good side with great players but we're really confident uh we trust ourselves and we're ready
00:56for it and in terms of confidence just what has that victory over two legs against real
01:01madrid done in terms of the belief that's been instilled in this squad yeah i mean as i said
01:06we're really confident uh we did uh two great games against them uh at home and in our way as
01:14well and yeah we are confident uh as i said we we have a huge respect for for psg but we're ready
01:23uh we've been working so hard this season and yeah we deserve to be here and we go for it
01:29moose do you want to go next yeah sure hi gabby how are you um can i ask you is this the biggest
01:36game of your life yes okay more than one word answer would be quite good i mean what just expand
01:44on that yeah i mean it's it's a dream to be here you know uh since i started to play football uh when i
01:52was five six uh uh i had this this dream to to be playing the champs league and to be in in the same
02:01final it's it's amazing and as i said to to him uh we deserve to be here it's a dream uh and we're ready
02:09your condition just to take each game every time as it comes but then is there a little bit of you
02:16that's already started to think about what this could lead to i mean it's it's an opportunity for
02:23us uh for our lives uh it's a great game uh everyone that loves football or the would love to to be
02:33playing this this kind of games and we're having this this opportunity so we are gonna enjoy the
02:40moment uh it's a great game but as i said we we're ready and we want to win and last one
02:45how much of an inspiration were they asked the women yesterday if you watched the game but
02:49they've reached their champions league final yeah i mean i didn't watch the game but i saw the goals
02:54uh we're really uh proud of the girls and yeah we are gonna try to to do the same
02:59tom hi gabby um you've gone up against some incredible wingers in this competition um how has it made you
03:07feel being on that pitch with some of the world-class players you've played against and how do you see
03:10yourself ranking uh with those players like barcola and desiree douay and kovackelia as well on tomorrow's
03:17game i mean they are great players uh we've been facing some uh are the best in in the world as well
03:25uh vini rodrigo mbappe so uh we're ready uh we know they they've got quality as well but we've got an
03:34amazing team as well on this side uh we trust ourselves we have an amazing team uh amazing
03:41supporters that is going to be behind us tomorrow and yeah we're ready and just briefly away from
03:46the game and on you personally we've spoken to william saliba and and bakala saka recently about
03:51their futures and you've got two years left on on your contract so how are you viewing your future
03:56of arsenal and is there a contract down the line that you might want to pen for in the future
03:59i mean uh i always said that i'm i'm really happy here this is this is my home i love to be here
04:08i love the club uh the club has has given me so much uh not just on the pitch but off the pitch as
04:16well i've been proved a lot uh with the club of course on the pitch is important but off the pitch as
04:23well the club's been amazing with me the people that work around the club the fans and everything and
04:29yeah i'm really happy here art hi gabriel um at the start you mentioned this was something you've
04:36dreamed of since you were five or six years old i was just wondering when you were playing in brazil
04:41having that trial at manchester united i think when you were a teenager before you came to arsenal was
04:46this something that seemed like a realistic dream or is it more of something that was just the dream
04:52of everyone did you think it could actually happen i mean uh everyone has to has to have uh the dreams
05:00you know uh you dream to try to to make it real so when i was in brazil uh as you said when i was
05:09six or when i was 18 17 playing there i always had this dream but i knew it could be real and it could
05:17be possible and i just uh try to try to give my best uh try to to improve things and uh be the best
05:26i i could be and could i just ask about you and bukayo because you both scored at the bernabal
05:30and i think a lot of people kind of view you two as very key parts of this journey the arsenal of being
05:36on um so yeah can you kind of talk about your relationship and how that's grown over the years
05:43because even though you're both still very young you're very established i guess members of this
05:49squad that have taken them from say the europa league to now champions league semifinal yeah i mean
05:54it's uh it's amazing to to have him uh in the team and next to me he's a brother to me uh i love him
06:01uh i think uh he's one of the best players in the world in the world right now uh it's uh we are
06:10lucky to to have him here we've been through uh so many things here at the club and i think where
06:17we deserve to to be living this moment right now and we deserve uh to win something great for for
06:24this football club james hi gabby um that two nil win against psg here in october one of the best
06:30performances you guys have had this season what were the qualities you showed last night that you're
06:35going to try and show sorry that in october that you're going to try and show tomorrow night i mean
06:39it's uh it's going to be another big match uh of course we won that game but it's going to be
06:44a different short story tomorrow uh they've got a great side with great players but we are going to
06:51have to uh to try our best uh in attack and in defensive as well because they've got some really
06:59good players uh but we've got an amazing team and we are going to go to the game with
07:05just one mentality that is to win the game uh and yeah as i said we deserve to be here it's going to
07:12be a great match and we can't wait so bring it on as a dressing room you all know the history of
07:17arsenal in this competition and the weight for that first champions league title have you guys
07:22talked about what it would mean to be the team that ended that weight
07:25yeah i mean of course uh we have this dream uh the football club has has never won this title and
07:33uh the club deserves to to have it it's one of the biggest clubs in the world and
07:38uh we're really happy to to be involved in in this moment and we have the opportunity so
07:45we're really happy and excited to the game and uh of course we believe we can we can win it it's
07:52it's an amazing thing that we can bring to the to the club and yeah we're really happy and
07:57confident as well couple on the right hand side of sam hi gabby you've been here for six years now
08:03which is makes you one of the longest serving players you've seen all the changes that have
08:08happened since michael came in and since you've grown up as well can you just explain how different
08:13the club is now compared to the club that you joined yeah i mean it's uh yeah it's been six years
08:20yeah uh we've we've improved a lot uh i think it's just me and b and riz maybe i don't know if i'm
08:31not wrong uh yeah it's been it's been an amazing journey for me uh i've been proved i've improved a
08:38lot uh as i said not just uh on the pitch but off the pitch as well uh and it's great to to have
08:44live these moments uh when i got here uh we were playing in the europa league uh now uh we're in
08:53in the same final of the the champions league so uh i'm really proud of uh of the team uh of the club
09:01i think the club serves to uh to be playing this competition and uh win it so yeah i'm really proud of
09:09of myself uh because uh when i got here i was just uh uh 18 years old boy and it's been an amazing
09:19journey as i said and i'm really happy to be here and to have lived uh those moments
09:23hi gabby one aspect of your game that has pretty much come to the form last couple of seasons is
09:29the defensive aspect so you tracking back point tackles in and that part of your game what have
09:34you made of all like the reception around that because you seem to get quite a big cheer from the
09:38crowds that time just for your defensive work you've despite the attacking aspect too yeah i mean
09:43when we play against vini rodrigo mbappe i think the the guys need a little help and me and b we try
09:50to to give our best for for the team because uh we know how important the the champions league is and
09:55the game is as well for for the club i just try to to give my best uh for the team for the fans for
10:02for everyone you know and try to to make uh miles life or jt's life a little bit easier because it's
10:10not easy to to mark those those kind of players you know so i just try to to give my best for the team
10:15in your breakout season two seasons ago you obviously struck 15 league goals this season you seem to
10:20have again brought your tally up to um to good numbers in terms of goals and assists do you think
10:26you're near back to your best days on the on the pitch in terms of the attacking output yeah i mean
10:31um i'm really happy uh of course uh i know i need to improve i want to improve um well at the same
10:40time i want to to win things so if uh if i don't score and we win three new tomorrow i'm gonna be
10:47happy and we're not conceding with my health with my help defending so i'll be really happy with that as
10:52james hi gabby just looking a bit further ahead this summer arsenal have been linked with maybe
10:59signing a striker maybe a winger as well does that put any extra pressure on you or do you welcome
11:05that competition if it comes i mean we play for us now it's a competition every day uh the club wants
11:13to to have the best players in the world because it's one of the biggest in the world as well so
11:17yeah i mean we're used to it do you feel you need more as an attacking unit yeah i mean we are we
11:25are a big big club you know we need to to have the best players so we're really happy when uh we
11:31have uh big players coming to the team jordan hi gabby um you've got this incredible record of scoring
11:3850 goals and whenever you've scored for arsenal you've never lost yeah i've heard that
11:43i mean just what if anything can you um put it down to and how does it feel knowing that you have
11:49such a big impact on arsenal games when you play and score yeah i mean uh it's it's what we do you
11:56know we try to we try to score and assist uh to help the team win games uh but as i said to to him
12:06uh if i need to to run 15 kilometers and we win three new and i don't score any goals and we win the
12:14champions league i'm gonna be the happiest man in the world so yeah it's really happy to to have this
12:20uh these stats next to me but uh i try to give my best as i said uh to help the team with goals or
12:29or just doing the the work uh in defense in defensive as well so yeah i try my best is it on
12:36your mind now that when you score you think we're not going to lose no i don't think that i just try
12:43to play and and win the game and don't i don't think about this and as sam said you've been here
12:49a long time now do you feel like you're more of a senior player here now with that comes more
12:55responsibility and you can go on to kind of lead this team rather than i'm not that old
13:00but but but do you feel like more of a senior figure in this yeah i mean uh i try to to help
13:08everyone of course i've been here six years um uh when we have uh someone new uh arriving to to the
13:16club uh i try to uh to be next to him i mean when when it's not someone from england and uh that
13:25speak portuguese or spanish because i know how hard it is to to come to the club and you don't
13:30speak the language because i've been there so i happen with fabio marquinhos so i just try to
13:36to help the guys because uh i know how hard it is to to be in that position because uh people come to
13:44talk to you and you can't really say anything you know so i just try to to help uh and yeah i mean
13:51uh if been been here six years uh i need to do that i don't mind i just try to to help everyone
13:59around the club and yeah give my best for for the club last two in english so david first yeah hi
14:05gabriel i want to ask you about arteta your manager how much has been instrumental in your progress and
14:13the team's progress can you say that again please yeah i want to ask you about arteta your manager
14:18how much has been instrumental in your personal progress and in the team's progress i mean
14:24personally uh he's been here a long time as well uh he's been helping me so much uh giving advice and
14:34thanks uh on the pitch uh and yeah we're really happy to to have him here he's one of the best in
14:40the world and so we're really happy to we are lucky to have him here as well yeah just hello gabriel
14:47yes peters from 90 min tomorrow you will probably have to face ashraf akimi on your wing what do you
14:53think about him thank you uh yeah he's he's a great player uh attacking and defending as well
15:02uh but not just him they've got a a really good team but uh we've got a great side as well so
15:12uh we are we are not thinking too much about about their team we are focused on on our team because
15:18we've got some great players as well and the final question over here in french hi in french is
15:24possible so gabby thank you bonsoir gabby quelles étaient les principales différences entre le
15:33paris saint-germain du début de saison quand vous avez gagné 2-0 et le paris saint-germain de maintenant
15:37i mean it's still an amazing team of course we won that game too new we played really well that game i
15:55think they they've changed uh a little bit uh we we had some changes as well we we've lost some some
16:03some good players uh because of injuries but we we don't think too much about them you know uh we play
16:09for arsenal and as i said uh we've got an amazing team we deserve to be here and yeah we we're ready
16:17cool we'll end it there thank you everyone thank you guys good tomorrow