Luis Enrique hails Arsenal as 'best team in the world' in key aspect as PSG boss warns how Premier League champions can 'score a lot' in Champions League final

Enrique has identified Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal as the best team in the world "without the ball" as he prepares his side for a monumental Champions League final. The Gunners, freshly crowned Premier League champions, are looking to exact revenge on the Parisians after falling to them in last season’s semi-finals.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the PSG boss was full of admiration for his compatriot's work in north London. "I think they deserve to win the league - they have had a brilliant season," Enrique said. "We have already played against this Arsenal side, so we know what they are capable of. Without the ball, they are the best team in the world, and with it they can score a lot. It is a wonderful combination for them."

The upcoming final represents a rematch of last year's semi-final encounter, which PSG won 3-1 on aggregate before dismantling Inter 5-0 in the final. Despite their historical edge, Enrique is not taking the challenge lightly, acknowledging the massive strides Arteta has made with the English giants.

"It makes sense that we are facing them in the final," the former Barcelona manager added. "We can look forward to a truly great final. When you look at Arsenal’s stats, you can see that Mikel Arteta is a leader as a manager, who has instilled a winning mentality in the team. They have been improving for several seasons now; they love the ball, but they are the best team in Europe without it."

While Enrique boasts a trophy cabinet featuring Champions League triumphs with both Barcelona and PSG, alongside two La Liga and three Ligue 1 titles, the current campaign marks Arteta's first top-flight league triumph. Enrique, however, believes the silverware is finally catching up to the quality of the coaching on display at the Emirates Stadium.

"They won the Premier League and they’re in the Champions League final this year after reaching the semi-finals last season," Enrique noted. "They deserve to be there, and Arteta instils a competitive spirit in his players. The most important thing for us is to focus more on ourselves and less on the opposition. That is what we will continue to do. We are talking about the best club competition in Europe, so yes, there’s an element of adaptation - because the standard is very high."

Earlier this month, Arteta shared his own perspective on the European elite, specifically praising the quality seen in PSG’s semi-final against Bayern Munich. The Arsenal boss suggested that the different demands of domestic leagues often play a role in how teams perform on the continental stage, describing them as "different worlds."

"Bayern vs PSG is probably the best game I have ever witnessed on the quality of two teams, and especially the individual quality that the players deliver," Arteta said. "I’ve never seen something like this. But when I look at the amount of minutes and the freshness of those players, then I’m not surprised. To deliver those moments of quality, you have to be very fresh and the difference in the leagues and the way they compete is night and day, and you just have to see a lot of stats that have been recently around it. We are competing in two different worlds, so you cannot compare one part of that without giving any context to that. I don’t think it’s fair."