Radiating anger and resignation in
equal measure, Arsene Wenger wore the exasperated expression that has become
all too familiar to Arsenal followers during their club’s futile attempts to
conquer Europe.
Wenger’s frustrated demeanor on the touchline
at the Allianz Arena last month was provoked by the sight of Arsenal being
outclassed by Bayern Munich — again — in the first leg of their Champions
League last-16 tie.
Each Bayern goal was a fresh twist of the
knife for Wenger and by full-time Arsenal had been hammered 5-1, a chastening
loss that seems certain to make Tuesday’s second leg at the Emirates Stadium a
mere formality for the Germans.
There was an unmistakeable feeling of deja vu
as Wenger and his players trudged back to the changing room, once again
assailed by the harsh realities of Europe’s elite club competition.
Arsenal have been eliminated in the first
knockout round of the Champions League in each of the last six seasons, twice
by Bayern, and Wenger appears no closer to solving the problem.
This season’s likely exit would sting even
more for Wenger because it could prove his final taste of the Champions League
after 21 years as Arsenal manager.
Amid mounting speculation Wenger is ready to
quit when his contract expires at the end of the season, the Frenchman has
refused to give a firm assurance he will return next term.
If that is the case, his failure to master
the unique demands of the Champions League will surely be Wenger’s biggest
regret.
Wenger was just 14 minutes from lifting the
trophy in 2006 when Arsenal led Barcelona despite the dismissal of goalkeeper
Jens Lehmann.
But Sol Campbell’s goal for the Gunners was
relegated to a footnote as Barca’s pressure finally paid off with late strikes
from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti.
That Wenger’s most painful moment in Europe
came at the end of by far his most impressive run made it doubly hard to bear.
Memorable victories over Real Madrid,
Juventus and Villarreal had carried Arsenal to the final as Wenger deployed a
cagey gameplan at odds with his purist principles.
Yet Wenger refused to use the same
conservative strategy in future years, instead trying to take on the big guns
at their own smooth-passing game despite mostly having inferior players.
Against middle-of-the-road Premier League and
European teams Arsenal can still dazzle when they reach top gear, but their
attacking style is an open invitation for the likes of Bayern and Barca to run
riot.
Never was the disparity clearer than in this
season’s first leg against Bayern when Carlo Ancelotti’s team enjoyed 75
percent of the possession and made full use of it.
Wenger never misses a chance to highlight his
achievement in leading Arsenal into the Champions League for 19th successive
seasons.
But deep down the 67-year-old knows Arsenal
simply haven’t been good enough to make the grade in Europe — and increasingly
the same appears to be true domestically too.
Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Liverpool left
Arsenal outside the top four and an embattled Wenger with some explaining to do
after leaving star man Alexis Sanchez out of his starting line-up.
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