"We haven't won the Champions League yet but I'm sure it will come. We were very close last year and just at the last couple of hurdles we couldn't quite get over the line. I think we've got a much better squad this year so I do think this year could be the year."
"I'm not going to be the one that I've heard lately saying, 'oh yeah, we've got the best draw, we're going to start looking already'. I'm not like that because I know football, I know you've got to win your game. Don't start looking at who you have in quarters and semis before you've even played Leverkusen, because Leverkusen is going to be a top game."
"If you don't take every opposition 100% seriously, you'll get beat. There's not much margin in this game at that level. If you aren't 100%, you'll get beat. It doesn't matter on the day who you play, you've got to be on it and we've seen it."
"So many details in a football game can happen - red cards, suspension, own goal, anything can happen. You've just got to try to take each game that comes at the time and I do feel sometimes you just get a little bit carried away because you're already seeing your team beating all their teams before you're there."
Aliadiere expresses frustration that Arsenal has not won the Champions League despite being competitive, noting the Invincibles squad fell short and recent campaigns ended just before the final stages. While optimistic about current squad capabilities, he emphasizes the critical importance of treating every opponent with maximum seriousness. He warns against looking ahead to future rounds before securing current matches, citing Arsenal's inability to beat lower-ranked teams as evidence that no opponent should be underestimated. Aliadiere stresses that football's unpredictability—including red cards, suspensions, and own goals—means teams must remain focused on the immediate challenge rather than anticipating future opponents.
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