Arsene Wenger took a moment to congratulate Atletico Madrid and to praise Diego Costa after the former Chelsea man scored the decisive goal to beat the Gunners 1-0 in the second-leg of their Europa League semi-final.
The Gunners paid the price for missed chances at the Emirates and could only muster a single shot on target against Diego Simeone’s miserly defence.
It means no Champions League football next season and no happy ending for the boss who was so desperate to win in Europe before this summer’s exit.
Facing the BT Sport cameras, Wenger had the following to say…
On the performance being similar to the first leg…
I couldn’t say the opposite. Look again tonight, it was a bit similar. You compare the two games, our performance was very good. The dangerous situations we created were there but in the two boxes, we missed something. I must say, we played against a good team and congratulations to them and good luck in the final. We feel over the two games, we did enough to go through.
On the damage being done in the first leg…
If you look well at the two games we didn’t manage the important moments of the game well, that’s an important part of the quality of a team. We were 1-0 up at home, concede a stupid goal. Tonight, with one minute to go before half time we concede a goal on a counter-attack, when you know it’s a vital moment in a game of that stature. That pushed them in a position psychologically that was much easier. They played with a bit of fear in the first half and if we’d scored they could be out. Once they were 1-0 up they had always a little cushion. If we’d equalised they’d still not be out. That’s why that goal was absolutely vital tonight.
On Diego Costa being a thorn in the side of Arsenal…
Yes, we had the ball at the start and it was a stupid ball, but I must say Diego Costa is Diego Costa and that’s why he’s one of the best strikers in the world.
On Laurent Koscielny’s injury…
It’s not good. It’s an Achilles rupture. Maybe we’ll have good news, but the first signs are not very good.
On his story ending without a trophy…
Well, it’s very sad. It’s very, very, very sad. I’m very sad tonight. Unfortunately, you have to go through that in our game. It can be very cruel, sometimes very nice. But the suffering is very strong tonight.
I know people are gonna rail on him for tonight, but I think the players deserve some of the beat for not doing more with their opportunities. They all owe him an apology for not bringing their best tonight.
*heat not beat
The suffering has been strong since 2006!
And the the same club who started inflicting the suffering on us is still inflicting it 14 years down the line.
I’m ok with beating some of those players.
Leave the beating for Wenger
I thought we created almost nothing, and I don’t think it was for the lack of trying. I appreciate it’s however you want to look at it. But for me, it breaks down quite simply: Atletico’s game plan, shape and tactics are better than our (Arsene’s) footballing philosophy. Look at Bellerin for example: he’s been playing week in and week out since August (on an injury at times), was unnecessarily played against Manchester United, and then he’s expected to perform again today. Now, I’m not forgiving him – I think he was poor today and should have done better for… Read more »
THIS is the cold hard truth. Sadly.
Oh well. Like someone said here, we’ll have a crack at Europa next year with a new manager at the helm. Hopefully we’ll do not one but two better in our European results this time next year. ✌
its not just that . the fact that wenger never ever really acknowledges that the team played poorly always simply amazes me every time. its not just in his words, mustafi and xhaka plays every game despite being disastrous. if their manager cannot see any fault in their performance do anybody honestly think the players are gonna sort themselves out. this is his demise, the fact that he never tries to make any wrong right.
They have been poor for months mate
I am genuinely absolutely gutted for him, like I really am. Today I actually feel depressed because of last nights result. And I am so angry at some of those players. I saw a couple of videos on Twitter of his post match presser, and I had to stop them halfway through, I couldn’t watch them till the end because they cut right through me. The worst part in all of this, is the reason why we have been so poor since about 2007 has pretty much come down to Arsene Wengers philosophical approach to management. It’s the fact that… Read more »
Why do you think this? What makes you know that Koscielny doesn’t work as hard as Vincent Kompany? Are you sure Aaron Ramsey is less dedicated than James Milner? That Ozil doesn’t care as much as Harry Kane? It’s just complete bullshit.
The proof of this is in erratic and sometimes under par performances. If you work hard at your game and indeed anything, it shows!
Because you cant pin it all down to conjecture when we’re pumping out results like we have been. And I am sorry – if Bellerin and Monreal and the other lads, had all been taking the time out after training to work on those things, we probably would have done something over there, since we had no real issues getting round the sides of Athletico – our problem was putting a decent ball into the box and then getting our CF’s organised to put the ball in the back of the net. Its the old saying ‘practice makes perfect.’ I’d… Read more »
Mismanagement on-pitch is this club’s second surname. I have never seen a football philosophy that even while your losing, your playing the same way.
That’s what happens when the manager fails to hold his players accountable for their mistakes and lack of progress. The players stop truly caring about giving their best effort.
They didn’t bring their best, because deep down inside, it doesn’t hurt them that they didn’t. They couldn’t be bothered to feel anything at all.
Accountability….soooo very true. I myself personally feel that players (who are also humans) can’t really lack accountability/responsibility in their “youthful” players. Unless ofcourse they already possess unbridled potential like a Messi or a Ronaldo.
So I suppose we are still paying the heavy price for the botched “youth” project.
I agree. Surely they could have really really ripped into them and did everything they could for Arsene tonight.
his final night in europe for arsenal and the players whom he protected for years cannot make it a special one for him. what a pathetic bunch of losers.
Class manager, loser players. Nothing else to add.
It’s not one-sided. Yes, some of the players did not perform. And yes, the manager did buy them, train them, and pick them.
Not 100% correct, one player that would have won us the 1st leg who Wenger wanted to keep was Giroud.
Had to sanction sale to allow Gazidis/Mislintat to bring in Aubameyang, out of his hands.
You watch Giroud help win the FA Cup for Chelsea now
Good shout. I also watched the first leg thinking, “The way Arsenal keep getting the ball wide and crossing into the box, Giroud would have been perfect for this match.”
Hes had faith in the players for too long and hes at fault and he sets out team to attack / defend .. We don’t even play good football anymore .. We had worst players and scored tons !
Overall I would say we were pretty poor across the 2 legs. Atletico were there for the taking. For me this just reinforces how much we need change
Here you are again shifting the blame to players, Mustafi asked Wenger at the 90min when we had nothing to lose anymore if he should go help upfront, Wenger said no.
Honestly just feel empty. Not even sad or angry.
Yeah, me too. But very disappointed for Le Prof. Gonna miss him.
Sorry but he has become a big part of the problem. My sympathy for him is limited
Players let him down. This group really needs to be dissembled. I’m not even playing when I say 65℅ of our current squad don’t fit the bill. This immensly disappointing. If they don’t put a performance in for the boss, for whom will they?
May be the players let him down!
or May be Wenger wasn’t able to provide the belief to the team that they can still do it. Damage had been done a week ago though! They were superior team not only today but even in the last game where they demonstrated a perfect game management.
If those players cant motivate themselves to get up for a big game and make a european final, no manager is going to change that attitude. The players are 100% to blame for failing to put in a decent performance tonight.
Gutting that our greatest manager didn’t get a better send off.
You mean didnt deliver right?
You’re right, he should have put himself on the pitch so he could deliver.
Or did not sell Alexis, Giroud or even Theo knowing that this will make his team short of forward options. Just to name the first reason top of my mind.
I really wanted Wenger to go out with a European trophy but the reality is the two goals we conceded in the tie are carbon copies of many goals from games past. Looking forward to the future now, very interested to see what a new manager and a new system can make out of these players.
Gutted for Kos.
This exactly.
I’m gutted we couldn’t win tonight, I’m gutted Wenger didn’t get the send if he deserves, but honestly I don’t think anyone is surprised.
It’s time. New manager, new philosophy, new tactics. New chapter.
Let’s go.
“We did enough to go through”?!? Erm, no. No, we didn’t.
We couldn’t beat 10 men at home and had 1 shot on target tonight. Guess that’s enough for Wenger.
Why would Allegri come to Arsenal?
Our brand is in the toilet. We don’t play in CL.
Depends I guess, what motivates you.
If Allegri revives Arsenal, he will get all the credit. We still have world class facilities and resources(kinda) to offer.
Love Arsene but this tie is the only evidence you need to know that him going is completely for the best. We cannot defend. Both goals in this tie were Sunday league defending. And you cannot expect to win at this level, at this stage of a European competition defending like that. But it’s a new era coming, get Allegri in because over two legs we were by far the better team. And under Allegri if we are, he’ll make sure we don’t gift inferior opposition goals. Because that’s what we’ve been doing all season. Did you seriously expect any… Read more »
Agree with most of your points but saying we were “by far the better team” shows how much Wenger’s approach has infected us as fans. We definitely were not the better team let alone by far… not to mention not having better individuals than Costa, Koke, Oblak, Griezmann and Godin…
What defines a team is a clear collective mindset and Wenger has not produced that to any decent effect since 07-08.
Yes. And like I have said before we can’t defend but also our attack is impotent. The technical level and execution of English players such as Wilshere abd Wellbeck is so underwhelming
Also gutted we couldn’t give Arsene a proper send off, returning to the champions league and setting a nice platform for the new manager.
It’s probably been said already, and hindsight is a wonderful thing but we never should have sold Giroud in January. This tie would have looked very different with him available, I’m convinced of that.
This team has been making mistakes all season and has come up short in all the big games. It’s not the end of the world there just not good enough at the highest level. Wenger leaves us with some good players and some not so good. He knows more than anyone their is plenty of work for the new coach. I don’t feel to pissed of with tonight’s result as i just didnt have the belief in this group of players and feel this team would suffer badly..(again) in the CL. As we say good by to a great manager… Read more »
Its not the players. Its the overall balance of the team in terms of capabilities. Its the reliance on some mediocre players Elneny, Welbeck, and young players that have not proven return on promise. The way Wenger dreams of playing, he does himself no service with the composition of this squad. But to some extent January’s activities were outside his dictate and they have made it worse. I mentioned then that we should have retained Giroud and not bothered fixing what was not broken. Instead of getting a creative wide player, we made a deal for Mhkitaryan so we could… Read more »
whoever the Board bring in to manage Arsenal will say a lot about the true ambitions of this club , that’s for sure.
No Arsene to hide behind anymore.
Over to you Ivan
?
Fair play santori. I should have known I could count on you to cheer me up thus morning. I love hearing you talk about ‘simplistic fans’ while you toss out banal cliches my 4 year old could come up with. Thank you sir.
Why elneny. He would have played better than any other arsenal player against atletico if not injured
yeah, well you was let down big time by your players tonight
As much as I thought wenger’s time was, its still sad to see him leave without the europa trophy
Anyway looking forward, Brendan Rodgers is a very bad choice. Patrick Vieira is a perfect choice
Patrick Viera.
Another of those deluded choices.
Prepare for worse to come.
Some people are utterly deluded.
Wake up.
Mslintat/Gazidis/Sanheli want to bring in someone they can control
If they dictate transfers like they did January, we will be in for more poor years maybe sliding even lower than where we are now.
So let me guess… you want to offer 40 million pounds for Mahrez again, sant?
If anything, Mislintat and Sanheli will be a boon for us and our recruitment. They should handle the player scouting and acquisition, and the new manager should handle the squad tactics and letting the staff know what players he wants.
Kinda like how Arsene and David Dein once worked together to build us the best squads we had in the last 50-60 years.
Vieira is also a very bad choice. Not proven anywhere. Most money in MLS, can’t make anything of it. The perfect choice would be Joachim Low. Knows how to set up tactically, has experience developing young players, and has a ruthless streak about him when it comes to selection. Plus, he’s won arguably the greatest honor a manager in the game can win (and might potentially do it again this summer). If Arsenal truly wish to rebuild into the powerhouse they should be, then their first order of business is to get on the phone, call Joachim Low, and ask… Read more »
Watch now how AW will take over PSG in the summer and probably win the Champions League in his first season…
We are not in the champions league next year so i want nothing more than for him to do that.
Why would a club owned by a oil rich country want a European FAILURE as there new coach. 30/40 years of coaching he’s won Nothing in Europe. Winning the French league is a given for them. Jesus, his great farewell tour is an embarrassment.
Their* new coach
Not with his mentality and lack of tactics, he won’t.
He has no plan, and can’t tactically set up a team to accomplish an objective. Not anymore.
11 v 10 for 100/180 mins and still can’t win.
What a joke of a team.
Not sure why your comment is heavily downvoted. I agree. This was a great opportunity for us. Not only becuase they were one man down for almost all of the first leg, but also because they actually aren’t that good. But we were not good enough. We have become a decidely average team.
#merciarsene Sorry that none of your squads could get you a european cup
The suffering has been very severe for a decade, Mr. Maybe not for you.
Tonight was as predictable as hell. We arsenailed it.
Poor Wenger. Out of ideas. A squad that lacks balance. Nothing on the bench to make a difference beyond Mhkitaryan whom like Ozil and Ramsey will funnel narrow into the hands of Athletico all too easily. The only player he could put on up top is Nketiah. Why try and fix something that isn’t broken? Why trade Giroud for a striker who is cup tied. Why get Mhkitaryan when we really are bereft of a creative winger who can take on and beat a player or two like Mahrez? The gaffer won’t get a happy ending wank now. Because those… Read more »
“Why get Mhkitaryan when we really are bereft of a creative winger who can take on and beat a player or two like Mahrez?”
Because Leicester wouldn’t sell him to us for those 40 million pounds you kept harping to all of us about, sant.
Leicester would only let him go for 90-100+ million. And honestly, Mahrez is not worth that.
If anything, Mkhitaryan has been one of our better performing players since he’s arrived. A good trade considering how f’d we were in the whole Alexis saga and how Alexis basically quit on the club mid-season.
The Captain’s curse continues…
#WengerOutNow
Feel for Wenger though.
He’s out of ideas and I think he’s tired
IMO best job for him next would be the National job with Les Bleus.
Somewhat less pressure as there is time to prepare for the Euros and at his disposal a golden generation.
He can then play the expansive/interpretive type footy he craves at less detriment where with Arsenal, he has not added sufficient capability over the last 15 odd years to keep up with a changing league in England, particularly in terms of technical players available to most teams now.
Stevie Bould 100% could get more out of this squad. The work experience boy who is nifty on FIFA could get more out of this squad.
Wenger based on what he can produce today must be one of the worst managers in all of English football.
Wenger does not leave his predecessor much to go on. The team has limited quality and almost no fight. Thank God this era is over. Time to get back up dust off and get going again.
now its gonna be open loot and free fall. Its a perfect storm. No core group of players left. No united fanbase. No committed passionate owners and a bunch of directors of football.
now that we stop punching above our weight, we will find our true level.
There is still time, get Benitez in…he is the only one who still respects the game.
Successor ☺
Perennial bottlers
This match was crying out for a battling centre forward who we could bring on with 30 minutes to go…can’t quite put my fingers on who, but they would have to be incredibly handsome. In all joking aside, what killed us tonight is we had no squad depth or plan ‘B’. Look at their bench – at who they had to bring on, then look at ours. I’m all for giving the youngsters a go, but in games like this you need experience and a winning mentality. Unfortunately, something little of our starting 11 or bench players have. Doesn’t matter… Read more »
I don’t blame the players for this exit. They lost by a goal to a much better side. It’s not that they’ve done well. This is just their level. We had Chambers our there having a pretty good game. Everyone else either played to their level eg Monreal, Xhaka, Welbeck, Mustafi or are players who aren’t good enough to lift a mediocre team eg Ramsey, Ozil, Lacazette…
It’s a massive rebuild job for the next manager.
The whole philosophy is stale.. the point that proved Wenger was ‘finished was when we stopped playing good football and creating loads of chances .. We was screaming put for a ‘real’ striker! Few years ago .Are attacking plan is fucking shocking .. the one thing we was good at is gone! We always been shocking defensively whether it’s having mediocre defenders with no back bone or terrible tactics! All down to the manager. Would of been a nice farewell to Mr Wenger
But what did anyone expect after the WORST season in decades! TIME TO MOVE ON
TONIGHT, we have been suffering ALL SEASON, lets get this week over and done with, so we can then move on and put the past behind us
Any sadness I feel after last night is offset by the knowledge we are finally gonna try something different next season. Looking forward in hope. COYG
Let’s face it. We lost it in the first leg.
We’re at a real crossroads now.
I do not really feel sorry for Wenger. The game last night summed up his ineptitude for the past few years. He had continuously and repeatedly buy the wrong type of players. You cannot plan to run without the right shoes. He has been running with the wrong shoes and I am glad the nightmare is over. Whatever the new chapter brings, I am happy Wenger is not in it.
So disappointed for the boss and the team. Atletico are a really good side and it was always going to be a tough ask to beat a team 2nd in La Liga. No shame in narrowly losing but the way we screwed up was just so… Arsenal. We need to stop getting caught on the break. Also sad for Koscielny because it was his first leg mistake and his injury that gave the first half extra time that led to their goal (although obviously he’s not to blame for that one). His decline is becoming increasingly evident and it’s really… Read more »
We are not good enough. Rarely is it in life that things end with a crescendo. It’s time to leave and unfortunate what has happened. But two stupid goals cost us. That’s what we are at the moment. Wish Wenger the best but I’m not cut up about it. It’s life.
We have been suffering for years Arsen welcome the Arsenal you created!
The better team won. It’s sad, very, very, very sad, but it was always the most likely outcome. It’s time to be sad now, but soon to rebuild & we all need to support the process even if your preferred choice doesn’t get the job. I just hope some of our fans are capable of that.
The board should shoulder the blame for the suffering of the manager, for not easing him out since and allowing him so much for arsenal sake. Look at his interviews this days, you clearly see a man eagerly awaiting the final bell.
Sorry but we’ve got a pack of losers for a team. If they couldn’t turn up in a moment like this I doubt they have the ability to turn up at all. They haven’t just lost a game, a tie or even a European cup, most if not all of them have lost the support of an entire football club. This will not be forgiven. Even in their best moments with the Club or elsewhere in the future, the mental and psychological scar of these last two European games will last a lifetime. For some of them, it will be… Read more »