TEMPERS FLARE AT ARSENAL
Lacazette and Bellerin square up during Europa League training
ARSENAL teammates Hector Bellerin and Alexandre Lacazette squared up to each other during training yesterday as Arsene Wenger prepared his squad for their Europa League semi-final showdown with Atletico Madrid.
The Gunners were preparing for today’s Europa League semi-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium and it appeared the pressure was cranked up.
During a training drill, Bellerin and Lacazette clashed as they went up to challenge for a high ball before squaring up to each other.
The two players seemed unhappy with each other and were swiftly separated before the issue was quashed.
Arsene Wenger is dreaming of his last piece of silverware as Arsenal boss before his departure this summer.
Wenger announced last week that he would step down from his position of 22 years following their final match of the season.
The 68-year-old will be hoping to make the Europa League final — on May 16 — his last match in charge of the north London club, who can keep that dream alive by securing the advantage with a first-leg victory over Atletico.
Arsenal have only failed to score more than twice in four of their 12 Europa League games since their opening group match in September.
Their impressive record has seen them become the competition's top scorers with 29 goals, and will hope to continue this form against equally frantic goalscoring opposition in Atletico.
Having entered the competition in the knockout stages — after narrowly missing out in the Champions League group stages — Atletico have netted 15 goals in only six Europa League matches and will no doubt pose a dangerous attacking threat with Antoine Griezmann leading their line.
European glory has consistently evaded Wenger over the years. That 2006 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona remains the Frenchman's only real crack at winning a continental title since his appointment in 1996, and it therefore seems fitting that such glory could be his last as Arsenal manager.