Arsene Wenger says bad luck and a lack of quality have hit Arsenal’s chances of winning the Champions League in recent years but insists he’s still hopeful that the Gunners can end their European trophy drought under his stewardship.
Despite reaching the final of the UEFA Cup and Champions League during the Frenchman’s tennure, Arsenal haven’t won a continental honour since Alan Smith’s goal helped George Graham’s side overcome Parma in 1994.
Eager to end that run, Wenger spoke with vim and vigour about overcoming stiff competition this year:
“We would love to win it as it has never been done with this club and we have flirted with it a few times.
“I feel in recent years we have not been helped by the draw. We have played Barcelona, Barcelona, Milan and Bayern [in consecutive seasons], so we have had difficult draws. Recently we haven’t had the quality to go through.
“It’s something I miss and I will try to fight very hard to fill my CV with that. But you play against Barcelona, Bayern, Real Madrid – every year they are there with a chance.
“You always think ‘let’s do it every year, one year it will go for you’. Let’s hope it will be this year. The competition is higher than ever.”
Interestingly Rafael Benitez says he’d love to see Wenger, who also has a Cup Winners’ Cup final defeat to his name from his time at Monaco, taste European success at some point in the future.
Speaking in glowing terms ahead of tonight’s game at the Emirates Napoli’s new boss said of Wenger:
“I think he is the best coach in the Premier League. They have signed good players, at this point everything going well for them.
“Wenger is a great manager, a great person, someone who knows the league here in England. He has experience in Europe, Arsenal is always top four and he is doing a great job.
“Hopefully he can win (the Champions League), but another year, not this one.”
For what it’s worth the boss says it’s traditional big guns Barcelona and Bayern Munich who remain favourites for Europe’s top honour although much will depend on the form of Lionel Messi.
“For two or three years Barcelona were above everyone. In October you know if Messi doesn’t get injured they will win it. But you could say today that the favourite is Bayern.
“They are the same team as last year. They have won it. They have bought Goetze on top. As well they know they can do it and have played in the final many times. That might make them a favourite ahead of Barcelona as Messi does not seem to have the same consistent presence that he had for years before.”
Incidentally, it’s 17-years ago today that Arsene Wenger officially became Arsenal manager (here’s his full record). Where has the time gone?
it’s about time for both club and the boss
Relax, Arsene knows.
I can’t see Napoli coming to the Emirates and getting all swashbukling on our ass they will be happy with a draw and will likely play for it. Could lead to a pretty sterile game. Or, Arsenal could rip them a new one. 1-0 to the Arsenal?
with this team, in this form, however much they try, the game won’t be sterile, that is for sure…
I hope you are wrong, but am torn. The usual attitude of: ‘win your home games and anything away gets you through’ is potentially dangerous. With a group this tight, you cannot be sure of the home points. Personally I’d go for the win. You lose away and its effectively 1 point down compared to playing for a draw, but an away win has more impact. Then again, we are talking Benitez here. On an associated note (and I need to vent). Not doing Sky, and not being able to get to the Emirates tonight, Tuesdays are good because of… Read more »
I wish they were.
would settle for 1-0, as long Arsenal bags the 3 points, Hamsik is going to be a pain for either flamini/arteta though, fantastic talent
There’s no reason why anything should be out of reach this season.
We’re world class right round the park.
Get real, Eleanor! We’ve made a decent start this season but we’re not good enough to win either the Premier League or the Champions’ League. I’ll say it again: apart from Spurs we haven’t play a really good side this season.
I fear that by Christmas we’ll all be looking at this season more realistically. The shame is that we actually had a chance to win something big, but we didn’t but the striker or the three other quality players who we needed.
I hope our results are as consistent as your pessimism.
I share your cautiousness, but in many ways, there’s no such thin as “not good enough to win” when it comes to the Champions League. In the last decade alone, unfancied sides like Porto, Liverpool and Chelsea have wriggled their way in. The league’s length means only the best teams can win it because they can keep the quality up over the longer term, but the Champions League’s format of several stages means that short bursts of form can be enough. And besides, you haven’t been that great at predictions so far, so I’m not gonna put too much stock… Read more »
This is what I don’t get about people like you, you have no ambition, no faith, no heart, but most of all no understanding as to what it means to be a ‘Gooner’. Yes, we have injuries, but those are transient. Yes, we’ve not played a decent Premier League side this year. But is there a decent side out there – one that’s definitively better than us? Tonight won’t indicate anything no matter the result – that’ll come after we play Chelsea, Liverpool, BvB, and ManU in turn. After that you can moan like a Minnie about whatever you like.… Read more »
We said Eleanor, even the law of averages is on our side, we all know its only a matter of time before we break our trophy drought, and without jinxing it, why not this season?!?
We are the form side of 2013, and apart from strikers, our squad is quite strong, even then someone like Akpom, Sanogo or even TGSTEL could still surprise us and deliver like Chris Wreh all those years ago.
I have faith, but then again i always have faith 🙂
Eleanor, here’s anothor fact for you: we actually picked up more points from the corresponding PL fixtures (against Villa, Fulham, Stoke, Sunderland etc) when we play them last season – if you don’t belive me then go and check it out.
I’ll start to get excited when we beat the likes of Man City, Chelsea and Man United – and if we are still top at Christmas.
Until then I’ll continue to live in the real world.
Eleanor, here’s anothor fact for you: we actually picked up more points from the corresponding six PL fixtures (against Villa, Fulham, Stoke, Sunderland etc) when we played them last season – if you don’t belive me then go and check it out.
I’ll start to get excited when we beat the likes of Man City, Chelsea and Man United – and if we are still top at Christmas.
Until then I’ll continue to live in the real world.
We’ve just whomped Napoli with a display that captivated and enchanted most of the football-watching world let alone almost every Arsenal supporter out there.
And you still want to wait until we beat Chelsea in the Capital One Cup? Really? Chelsea? The Capital One Cup? Not Napoli in the Champions’ League?
OK. Christmas it is. But I really don’t know where Santa Claus fits in with any normal person’s understanding of the ‘real world’.
You’ve obviously no idea what you’re missing.
The usual bollocks about Arsenal only playing weak opponents and revising history after the fact. Yep Spurs are the only traditional rival we have met so far — And beaten them! You know what, winning away at Swansea is decent, since Liverpool have already dropped points there, and other potential top 4 sides will do the same. Winning away at Marseilles was clearly dead easy, as the side who are 3rd in the French league (behind the billionaires) are our group’s whipping boys. The Fenebace situation is hysterical. Before the draw for the CL qualifiers, they were down on most… Read more »
Oh, and what Eleanor said 🙂
Absolutely; at this point, I’d say Swansea has a good run against any top side in the league right now given their form… I would say if Man U don’t shape up, it was probably a tougher challenge than they would pose even. Of course I honestly believe the other big clubs are suffering from changes in managers, and are settling in – they will be more consistent and better as the season progresses, but at the same time there is absolutely no reason to believe that we cannot compete with them when the time comes. If you don’t believe… Read more »
Micheal owen, is that u?
Well FG, Aston Villa have played 2 of the top teams and won, does that mean they’re going to win the league or does it mean that any team can beat any team as long as they play together? As the cliche goes “you can only beat the team that’s in front of you” and for us, that’s 6 teams (in the league) this season. Also, these other quality players you mentioned; our main advantage is the fact that the team has now played together for at least a season and haven’t had massive upheaval. We are playing like a… Read more »
So bloody tiresome. Our midfield is up there with the best in the world, and our defence (despite the lazy assertions from crap pundits that we’re still shaky at the back) is as good as any in the league. Giroud on top of that is a wonderful player.
There is something really special in this team, something to be genuinely excited about that I haven’t seen or felt for a long time. Why Fatty can’t get his head out of his arse and enjoy it is truly beyond me.
sometimes I think that fatgooner is blogs in disguise (no offense!). he generates so many comments and his negativity is almost comibal, it actually makes me feel more optimistic after reading some idiot’s pessimism.
Arsesicky
I see where your coming from!, but my gwho Blogs uses as a wind-up.
Nobody could be as big a dick, except a spud.
Poor old Fats just wants attention.
Come on then FG, let’s hearing the moaning now
We used to struggle to pick up 3 points against the so called “mid table” teams, often dropping points by a sucker punch goal here and there, and now that we are, you are complaining, a league is 38 games long and it doesn’t matter who the opponents are, as long we pick up all 3 points game after game, we’ll be top of the table
We don’t have the depth but who else really has that much of a better first team than us?
The so called “top teams” are faltering.
Spurs are being hailed as one of the main title contenders (I know…) and we beat them. Injuries will be the death of us, but a quality striker from Santa, maybe some one else on the pitch and we’re serious contenders.
City are the only team I’m genuinely worried about.
a disciplined 2-0
no way, mate… 3-1 is the flavour of the season!
Giroud strikes early, Higuain equalises in the first ten minutes of the second half for the media to get there knickers in a twist for a possible story, Rambo to score the winner, Ozil to put the cherry on the top for his first goal…
😀
In wenger we trust.
He has the fans’ blessing to go for it…
I’ve a great feeling about this squad. Would be even better if we’d added a Higuain or a Suarez but hopefully we do something in Jan. Nov/Dec time will be our biggest tests and show if this squad really has was it takes to win something this year
Wenger yesterday: “talk of Arsenal winning the Premier League is absolutely ridiculous”
Wenger today: “we can win the Champions League this year”
It is clear to see that Le Profeseur has been reading books on (reverse) psychology !
Wenger tonight during pre-match handshake with Benitez: “Rafa you look great… have you lost weight mate?”
Pretty sure Chelsea *spits on the floor* won the champions league but came sixth. Wenger is going for a CL win and second place, just to show we’re the top team in London
17 years of Wenger to the day and my 4 year anniversary as well.. All bodes well for tonight
Wedding anniversary or you’re 4 years old? If it’s the latter, you have excellent typing skills.
Who do u refer to as a good side…fat*#@…Chitey that lost to Villa…or United tha lost to WBA..every team has improved..ok, so have we..every match is a test and we have been brilliant on most of them…Napoli won’t be different fellas…our slogan this season is ..’One match at a time’..and we are sure to come out triumphant in all fronts…a seea tight match..and an Arsenal win..COYG
would be great if we won the champions league, for the fans, the club and mr Arsene, its gotta happen sometime, its gonna be difficult, but not impossible
Hopefully we’ll get a win tonight. 17 years of the great man. Although I’m really excited about the season so far, I’ll wait to see how we handle November before talking about titles.
Benitez has some class and that’s why he never stood a chance in Chelsea. The classless cunts.
I say we have lost only 1 game since march, and that too thanks to that cunty referee, but yes how many top flight teams we have played in that run – Bayern, United (Lets not count sp*ds here, come on)… But fellas, don’t we see the spirit here, i mean we have won the games- one after the other with injuries and red cards and penalties looming over us, but didn’t we come out on the brighter side. I mean, you have to agree to this atleast that our quality of the game right now is superior to all… Read more »
it’s early days but we need a lot more quality to win the CL
Haha, he called sp*ds a “really good side”. Side of mash, perhaps.
I quite like the idea of, after the celebrations have died down from our glorious 5-4 Champions League Final victory over Chelsea, Arsene logging onto his computer at home, digging out his Personal folder and literally updating his CV.
…
2003-04 Won the Premier League with Arsenal F.C.
2004-05 Won the FA Cup with Arsenal F.C.
2013-14 Won the UEFA Champions League with Arsenal F.C.
References available on request.
2003-04 Won the Premier League with Arsenal F.C. Unbeaten*
Sure, but I think he should cover that fully in any covering letters.
After 17 years, his CV is probably a little out of date. He’ll need a template for a new one….
We are top of the league, two points clear and with how many of our best players injured at the moment? I think we are entitled to be hopeful …
Nice to sees managers having respect for one another, seems like Arsene and Rafa get on. I believe every year we can win something, we saw Birmingham, Swansea and Wigan win silverware in recent years so there’s absolutlely no reason why we can’t attain some success. Shit happens in football as we know, otherwise we would’ve bagged the carling cup (nstead of Birmingham), we would’ve even bagged the Champioms League if the ref didn’t screw us when we lost to Barca with the offside goals.. So with the current team that’s brimming with talent, I don’t see why anyone would… Read more »
The current optimism over Arsenal’s chances to bag silverware is getting just as over the top as the pessimism of the transfer window. Steady now, one game at a time, don’t count chickens and all those things.
Arsene is on LinkedIn!
Saying that, if you want to win the competition you have to beat the competition of the Milans and the Barcelonas.
The frustration of years gone by was not only because of the lack of trophies but with how often we were out of the races for trophies. We have always had a decent squad but there was always something lacking. Now having formed an understanding and having developed togetherness we are seeing the benefits. I m not saying we will win the Premier League or Champions League,but this time atleast it looks like we are ready to give a good account of ourselves. And even the most pessimistic of you have to admit that being at the top of the… Read more »
Arsenal 2:1Napoli
Can’t be doing with essay length comments. Come on, keep it snappy.
COYG
3-1
Lots of noise please.
Go fuck yourself! Is that snappy enough?
Ozil may have yet to get used to the physical pace of the PL but in this arena, he is in his element.
I have a feeling he is our ticket to something very special.
Set your sights high. we are not the Spurs.
Why not? Let’s gun for the big one!