Aaron Ramsey has proven himself as a man for the big occasion throughout his Arsenal career - and he did it once more at the San Siro last week.
The Arsenal midfielder scored our second goal just before half-time against AC Milan but despite our two-goal lead he says the team will not allow any complacency to creep in ahead of the return match.
on whether he senses the returning of confidence…
I think we needed that result out in Milan. Obviously, it’s been a bit of a tough run of games for us, but we’ve tried in every single game. Sometimes these things just happen where it’s not quite working for you. But that result was important for us out there and hopefully now we can build on this and go from strength to strength until the end of the season.
on whether winning the Europa League is our best chance of returning to the Champions League…
Yes, it’s a massive opportunity for us, so that’s something that we’re going to have to be prepared to give absolutely everything for to try and achieve. This game is very important for us and for our season.
on how we'll avoid the complacency that players mentioned after the Ostersunds game…
I think that they’re a quality team. We’ve seen in the first game how good they are. It was quite a tight game even though we came away with a 2-0 victory. They’ve turned a corner as well with their new manager, so they’re on a bit of a good run and it’s going to be important for us to stay focused from the beginning. We can’t take this one lightly at all.
on whether getting past this round would clear a psychological hurdle…
No. I think in that situation we always try but we’ve come up against some really tough, top European teams as well. This will be a great opportunity for us to do that.
on what it’ll do for the confidence of the group if we do progress...
I think we’re into a stage then where anything is possible. You’re a few games away from a potential final. We’ll be giving everything tomorrow to make sure that we’re in the hat for the next round.
on whether he hopes the crowd will return and get behind the team…
Hopefully there won’t be so many empty seats but we’re just focused on going out there and trying to win a football game. Hopefully our performances on the pitch will encourage many to come back.
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