As Arsenal gear up for a mouth-watering UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu tonight, fans across the globe are holding their breath in anticipation. One of such devoted supporters is Nollywood legend, Chinedu Ikedieze, who spoke exclusively to BestLagos ahead of the crunch tie.
In this engaging Q&A, the screen icon breaks down Arsenal’s dazzling first-leg display, heaps praise on key midfield maestros, and opens up about his expectations, reservations, and dreams for Mikel Arteta’s men.
First off, congratulations on Arsenal’s performance in the first leg against Real Madrid. As a die-hard fan, what was your overall impression of the match?
“Arsenal did a good job. They took everybody unawares. They played the Arsenal way. They played their usual Arsenal type of game and really did a good job. They played a good game against Real Madrid. Arsenal won the game squarely. So, I’m impressed with their performance.”
Looking at the way Arsenal held their ground, especially in midfield, what are your thoughts on Declan Rice’s performance and his importance to the squad right now?
“Anyway, Declan Rice showed us why we signed him for that amount of money, £100 million + is not a small amount of money. So, he really showed us why we actually paid for that money. He did a good job. He surprised everybody. I didn’t even know he was that good with spot kicks, and he took those two. He stressed the goalkeeper, Courtois, and found the back of the net. That goal is what we call ‘angle 90’. There was no way Courtois would have gotten to that ball. He was far away from it. It wasn’t a mistake. He shot the first one, same angle, shot the second one, the same angle. I’m quite ecstatic, I’m happy with his performance. For me, he is the nucleus of our midfield. And not just him, Thomas Partey was everywhere. Partey did a wonderful job. He was so intelligent on the job. His control, attacking, everything.”
“I was expecting Arsenal to get a yellow card because of the high level of attackers Real Madrid possessed. But, it didn’t happen. We were so mature on the field. We showed them that yes, we are the Gunners, and at the end of the day, we came out with a wonderful result. So, our midfield did a good job. Our talisman, our skippo, Odegaard, it was a masterclass for him. He distributed the passes accordingly, and all our attackers, even the midfield attackers, were well fed. At the end of the day, we were smiling, and we are still smiling.”
The second leg is set to take place at the Santiago Bernabéu. What are your expectations going into that match? Do you think the Gunners have what it takes to edge Madrid on their turf?
“The second leg, I’m not afraid. If we can replicate what we did at Emirates, trust me, we will send Real Madrid packing. I trust my boys, and I know what they can do.”
Arsenal fans worldwide are dreaming of that Champions League trophy. Do you think this squad, under Mikel Arteta, can finally break that jinx and bring the UCL home to North London?
“You can never tell, never say never.”
Switching gears to the Premier League, it’s been a tight race this season. With Arsenal neck and neck with other title contenders, how confident are you that they can go all the way?
“Well, I’m not the one playing the game. You know we are short of players. We have a lot of players who are injured and still nursing their injury. So, Arsenal, with a full squad in form, can take on any team in the world, and we can beat them. Let’s just see what happens. We are in the second position in the English Premier League. I know we are 13 points behind, though I’m not looking at that side. I give it to Liverpool, but you can’t take it away from Arsenal or any other team. If Liverpool makes any mistake, if they lose one game, that’s 3 points, another one that’s 6 points. After all, there was a time, in 2002, that Arsenal was 10 points ahead by this time in the Premier League, and at the end of the day, they lost all the 10 points to either Manchester United. So, let’s just watch and see.”
You’ve followed Arsenal for years. How would you compare this current team to the Invincibles era? Do you see shades of that greatness in this squad?
“Anyway, the difference between Arsenal now and Arsenal then (The Invincibles)… Arteta is doing a good job with this team, and we are meant to believe the process. I’m believing the process, you can never tell. Yes, the Invincibles made history, let’s see what Arteta will make of this team. Trust me, this team is going to be one of the best we’ve ever had. That’s the truth, let’s just trust the process.”
If you could give Mikel Arteta one piece of advice ahead of the next leg in Spain, what would it be?
“Arteta, I don’t know what you told your boys. Whatever pattern of tactics you asked them to play, both defending and attacking, if they can do the same, no problem. The way they held the Real Madrid attackers, from Rodrygo on the right flank, Vinicius Junior on the left flank to their central forward, Mbappe and their supporting striker who is also an attacking midfielder, Bellingham. You know, 4 of them, they are a handful, I mean, these guys can destroy any defence, but we were able to curtail them — Let’s just see, let’s see. Let’s just watch and see.”
At the current squad, can you bet a huge amount on Arsenal to beat Real Madrid in their second leg in Spain?
“There is no need betting on Arsenal, as in betting whether they will win. This is football, and injury can mar a team. So, I can’t tell you now that I will start betting on them, for what? Even if you bet on the best team in the world, you bet on C Ronaldo, the prolific penalty taker, he will still miss penalty. Even the likes of Ronaldo Delima, Messi too, all of them they all miss penalties. And these are great men. In academics, they should have like 5 Doctorate Degrees. They should be professors now. So, it will be an overstatement if I start telling you now that I will bet on Arsenal winning their second leg against Real Madrid in Spain. Let’s just watch. Let’s see the game. Let’s give ourselves a few days from today, and we will watch the game and see what happens.”
And finally, if Arsenal wins the Champions League and Premier League double, how are you planning to celebrate?
“If Arsenal wins this Champions League, honestly, I will be very grateful. But, I can’t tell you what I will do. A lot of us will be very excited, that’s it.”
With voices like Aki backing the Gunners to go all the way, one thing is certain, the passion runs deep. Now, it’s up to Arteta’s men to make that belief count under the lights of the Bernabéu.
