Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal players must continue to make more decisions for themselves if they are to take the “next step”.
Declan Rice scored two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid as Arsenal beat the Champions League holders 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Rice revealed after the game that he had ignored the orders of Nicolas Jover for the first free-kick goal, with the set-piece coach telling him to cross it rather than shoot.
Arteta “loved” the way Rice seized the initiative and has urged his players to do it more in the future.
“They have to make the decision,” he said. “I love it, especially when it goes in the back of the net, instead of losing it on the counter attack!
“We are here to help them, to paint the picture of what the options are, but I loved it. When we talk about taking the next step, it is a lot about that.
“Taking the initiative, making things happen on the pitch and believing you can actually win the game by yourself sometimes. I was really impressed with the way he (Rice) did it.
“You have to do something that is not in the books, we always talk about it. It is like the energy we create in the stadium. That’s a magic moment.
“It felt like the crowd was taking that ball and putting it into the net. It was something special, that night from the beginning, and when you are able to create those moments, you are more likely to experience the situation we had.
“The first one he [Jover] says: ‘You see I told him to bend the ball’ [imitating Jover asking the ball to be whipped], because the crowd and the people can’t really understand.
“I had my nephew telling me: ‘I saw Nico telling him…’ I said: ‘You don’t wanna know the truth…’
“It’s related to confidence as well and feeling and owning that moment, which is really important.
“So there’s no coincidence that all the top teams, you look at their games in the Champions League, the amount of individual moments that won the football matches, I mean, in the Champions League at this level, that’s a necessity.
“Without that, I don’t think you have a chance to progress and be in the finals and winning trophies like we want.”
