Mikel Arteta has shot down Sergio Conceicao’s comment that FC Porto wanted to win more than Arsenal during their last-16 tie.

arsenal fc v fc porto round of 16 second leg uefa champions league 2023 24
LONDON, ENGLAND: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, and David Raya of Arsenal embrace at full-time after victory in the penalty shoot out following the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 second leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Porto at Emirates Stadium on March 12, 2024. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

After FC Porto’s first-leg win over Arsenal, Sergio Conceicao went viral for a comment he made about the way the two teams had performed in the match.

“They wanted to play, we wanted to win,” Conceicao said then.

“They think that the best way to beat their opponents is to have more possession of the ball, but that depends on the team and the performers they have.

“It all depends on what you do with the ball within the strategy defined to score goals.”

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Porto's Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao attends a press conference on the eve of the UEFA Champions Leauge round of 16 second leg football match against Arsenal, at the Emirates Stadium in London England, on March 11, 2024. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Porto’s Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao attends a press conference on the eve of the UEFA Champions Leauge round of 16 second leg football match against Arsenal, at the Emirates Stadium in London England, on March 11, 2024. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

In the second leg, Arsenal won 1-0, before eliminating Porto on penalties. Speaking after that match, Mikel Arteta hit back at Conceicao’s comment.

“We always play [to win],” Arteta said. “If not, I don’t know how you are top of the league in the Premier League. It’s the best league in the world.”

The suggestion that Arsenal don’t want to win matches is a strange one, considering the Gunners have won more games than Porto this season.

And as Arteta mentions, Arsenal have won most of those matches whilst playing in the best league in the world, not the seventh-best.

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 24, 2024. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 24, 2024. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Perhaps Conceicao should have tried wanting to win the second leg as well. He’ll have plenty of time to assess how Arsenal play in the next round, sitting on his sofa at home.

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