Jurriën Timber has said Arsenal have an opportunity to “change the narrative” of their season against PSV Eindhoven and believes they have the motivation to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for a second successive season.
Mikel Arteta’s side face the Dutch champions in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday night having fallen off the pace in the Premier League title race after failing to score in their past two matches against West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
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Mikel Merino is expected to continue as a makeshift centre-forward but the Netherlands defender Timber, who returns to his homeland after joining from Ajax in 2023, has insisted they are confident of progressing after failing to win here in their last four attempts.
“I think the motivation is there,” he said. “We showed in the group stages that we did really well, we have a good team and this is a beautiful game and a chance to change the narrative to win.”
Asked how they could turn things around, Timber said: “I don’t see it as negative but we’ve been through a lot, especially the last couple of weeks, but it’s a challenge for us and we have to take it. We have to score tomorrow, we have to win and in the Champions League you only have two games so you don’t get second chances, so we have to go for it in this game.”
Andrea Berta is understood to be in contention to succeed Edu Gaspar as Arsenal’s sporting director after he left Atlético Madrid in January, with the Italian thought to be keen on working in the Premier League. But while there could be a busy summer, Arteta insists he is only looking at the immediate challenge in front of his side.
“It’s a game that really brings a different energy,” he said. “It’s a competition that puts everybody on their toes. We’ve done a lot already this season. Here and now is the moment to start to make another strong step in the direction that we want.”
