STEELY WENGER STANDING FIRM
But Barca are ready to inflict more pain
NOT since the comedian Peter Kay devised a si nger dressed half as Freddie Mercury and half as Montserrat Caballe for a talent show parody has there been such an ill- conceived assault on Barcelona.
Arsenal arrived in Spain in the rain, on a dreadful run of form, with an injury list achingly long and a fan base divided and squabbling in the streets about the future of their manager. Awaiting Arsene Wenger and his misfiring team are the European champions with the world’s deadliest trio of attackers, attempting to become the first club to defend the Champions League trophy in its modern format.
Barcelona are unbeaten in 37 games, the last eight all won in a blaze of 30 goals. Oh, and they are 2-0 up from the first leg.
Arsenal, to reach the last eight, must unleash the sort of hiding they gave Hull’s reserves in the FA Cup last week, their only win in the last seven outings.
Strange things happen in football, but seldom this strange.
Wenger gave his team ‘a five per cent chance’ when he spoke on the eve of the game,game but the manager’s pre-match defiance went beyond the confines of this tie. It was a presidential message intended for arch- critics and those lobbying for change at Arsenal after nearly 20 years of rule by the Frenchman.
‘I am more motivated than the day I arrived,’ said Wenger. ‘I feel the pressure and responsibility to keep this club moving forward.’
He invited doubters to examine his record, and stressed his desire to continue. There was no hint of a man ready to quit and he is staunchly backed by the board.
‘I built the club, and the way I did it was with hard work,’ said Wenger. ‘I had no external resources. If you compare the club when I arrived and how it is today it has moved forward, and without any help from anybody.’
The 66-year-old will pass a milestone tonight with his 200th game in the Champions League and its forerunner, the European Cup. Only Sir Alex Ferguson has coached in more. Yet the competition has come to define the frustrating second half of Wenger’s tenure. He qualifies for it every year, an achievement he rates high highly, and yet will barely leave an impression if this were to be his final appearance.
His first game was in Iceland with Monaco, in front of a crowd of 4,000 in 1988. There has been one final, against Barcelona in 2006 but, since then, he has been past the quarterfinals only once.
Arsenal have crashed out at this stage in the last five years and no t eam has progressed in t he Champions League knock- out rounds after losing the first leg at home by two goals or more.
There have been near-misses, including some by Arsenal, but this is a tall order. ‘In 200 games, we have won everywhere in Europe, but not yet here,’ said Wenger. ‘We have gone through a disappointing spell, without a doubt, and it is important to stay calm. I am convinced the players will give a strong response and it would give us a big boost to have a great game here. The Premier League is more open than people think.’
In the Premier League, Arsenal are 11 points adrift of leaders Leicester with a game in hand but any late charge will require a drastic change in form. A last-gasp victory against Leicester last month ought to have galvanised Wenger’s team and launched them towards their first title since 2004.
Instead, it had the opposite effect. They have won only four of 14 and, while the manager hopes for a psychological lift in Barcelona, others will fear lasting damage to brittle confidence if they suffer badly at the hands of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar as they chase the game.
‘The advantage in our position is that the task is clear,’ said Wenger. ‘We need to score two or three goals. We have to attack. That’s what we like to do. The magicians of Barcelona will demand that the key for us will be a solid defensive performance.’
Barcelona, meanwhile, promised no complacency. Five players expected to start tonight were excused the 6-0 win against Getafe on Saturday. They are fresh and confident. ‘There will be no change to our approach,’ said Luis Enrique. ‘ These are champions we are talking about. This will not happen. We want to be better than Arsenal. If we can, that will be perfect.’