Resurgent Rosický loving life at Arsenal

Long periods of his Arsenal FC career may have been spent on the sidelines, but Tomáš Rosický is flourishing once more at a club that has been aligned with his approach to the game from the start. 

"I have always been attracted to the style of play," said the Czech Republic midfielder, who joined the Gunners in 2006 after five and a half years at Borussia Dortmund. "It's one of the reasons I'm so happy here. You could see the type of football they played before I came, with [Patrick] Vieira, [Emmanuel] Petit and [Thierry] Henry. It was great to watch – even when I was at Dortmund I enjoyed watching Arsenal." 

This season the 33-year-old featured in five of the north London club's UEFA Champions League Group F fixtures as they qualified in second spot behind Dortmund, with the away match in particular pulling at his heartstrings. "I was looking forward to that game, because there's a story between me and Dortmund, and I have good memories. I spent a lot of time there, we won the title, I played a UEFA Cup final with Dortmund," Rosický told UEFA.com.

Next on Rosický's agenda is tying down a starting berth for the round of 16 tie against FC Bayern München – a challenge he relishes amid fierce competition for places. "That's what you expect with a top team and I think it's great," the playmaker enthused. "It's a positive thing to have so many great players in the team. It's going to be only positive for the long-term future of the club. We are in the Champions League and it's tough, so the manager has many options to keep the players fresh."

To watch the interview with Rosický, click on the video player.