Thierry Henry Urges Mikel Arteta to Stay Pragmatic as Arsenal Face Atletico Madrid in Champions League Semi-Final

Thierry Henry has called on Mikel Arteta to remain pragmatic rather than expansive when Arsenal travel to face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final on Wednesday — a tie that puts the Gunners 180 minutes from their first appearance in the competition’s final since 2006.

Speaking on CBS Sports ahead of the fixture, Henry — Arsenal’s record goalscorer — acknowledged that the club’s style this season has drawn criticism but argued that tactical discipline is the correct approach at this level. “You cannot always be Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain, we play a different way,” he said. “I think people have to accept the fact that Mikel Arteta goes about the game like that and hopefully we can win.”

Henry pointed to Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle last weekend as a confidence-builder heading into the tie, even if the performance itself failed to impress. “The win, Arsenal against Newcastle, in terms of how we played wasn’t outstanding but it’s way better to go into that game with a win against Newcastle,” he noted.

The Frenchman also referenced Arsenal’s earlier meeting with Atletico Madrid during the UEFA Champions League league phase, which the Gunners won 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium, though he was careful not to read too much into that result. “Atletico lost at The Emirates, I think it was 4-0 in the league phase, which doesn’t tell you a lot, but it tells you it’s a game where we created, actually,” Henry said. He added that Wednesday’s contest would be a markedly different proposition.

Addressing supporters and pundits who have called on Arsenal to adopt a more attack-minded approach in the knockout rounds, Henry questioned the consistency of those expectations. “It’s not so much what I want to see, people are expecting or wanting Arsenal to play a certain way now, they didn’t the whole year. Why do you want them now to just go forward and start to create? They play a certain way, Mikel Arteta plays a certain way, we’re strong on set-pieces, solid, we don’t create a lot.”

For Henry, the priority is straightforward. “I would just like to see a win, that will do for me and bring something to The Emirates. You have to be pragmatic sometimes.”

Arsenal head into the tie with injury concerns in attack. Ademola Lookman, who has been a key figure for Atletico Madrid this season, is reportedly a doubt for the hosts despite returning to training ahead of the match, which could influence how both sides approach the contest.

The second leg is scheduled to take place at the Emirates Stadium, meaning Arsenal will be seeking a positive result from the away fixture to protect home advantage in what could be a decisive night for their European ambitions. Should they progress, they would become the first English club to reach the Champions League final since Chelsea in 2021.