Collectively, Arsenal‘s starting XI in their Champions League semi-final first leg have played 32,508 minutes this season – more than any of their rivals left in the competition.
Atletico’s starting XI have played 31,701, compared with Bayern’s 31,522 and PSG’s 29,968.
The Gunners’ David Raya (4,140), Martin Zubimendi (4,096), Declan Rice (4,002) and William Saliba (3,774) were all in the top five, in terms of minutes played this season, out of the four starting line-ups.
While Rice, for example, has played 359 more minutes this season than England team-mate Harry Kane – almost equal to four whole matches.
“The quality of the two teams [PSG and Bayern], and especially the individual quality of players, I have never seen something like this,” added Arteta.
“But when I look at the amount of minutes and the freshness of those players, I’m not surprised.
“How many players were available [for PSG and Bayern]? All of them, at their very best. That’s the most important thing.”