IN RUSSIA WITH LOVE! WENGER ON CHARM OFFENSIVE BEFORE CSKA TEST
AS East-West tensions escalated amid threats and counter-threats over Syria, Arsene Wenger slipped quietly into the Russian capital, proving to be just the man to send into a diplomatic crisis. There was a gun on his chest but Wenger had the charm turned on maximum, arriving late with a wry and disarming smile through the back door of a pressconference room in a five-star hotel to find his audience facing the other way. Dressed for long-haul comfort in hoodie and trainers, the Arsenal boss was delighted to report a warm reception from about 100 supporters at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and from opponents CSKA. Two football clubs have forged an unlikely bond over the two legs of a Europa League quarter-final tie framed by the crisis which has erupted since spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury last month. Tensions reached a new level as the London club flew east, with US President Donald Trump taking to Twitter to turn up the rhetoric, claiming his country’s relationship with Russia was worse than it had been during the Cold War. Arsenal officials insisted they were ‘perfectly happy’ with the arrangements in Moscow for the team and the 300 fans expected to travel from London and have not made any attempt to beef up security. Perhaps some common ground was to be expected. CSKA were formed as the Russian Army team. Arsenal are the Gunners, with their founding connections to the Royal Artillery. ‘Sport can always play a positive role in life,’ said Wenger. ‘Between countries, as well, that is why sport is always an opportunity to facilitate relationships. ‘I am convinced tomorrow night will be normal. We have no problems to come here and I don’t think that will affect the game. We are not really informed about what is right and wrong so we are best to stay out of that. But we had many Russian fans in London and there was no problem, why should it be different here?’ Wenger is yet to conquer Europe at Arsenal. Doubts cloud his long-term future at the club and success in this campaign, with its gateway to the Champions League, has become his prime target. Even if it does not secure him the chance to build another team it will ensure one more high and another trophy on the roll of honour, even if the manager refused to be drawn into talk of a possible final in Lyons. It would be Arsenal’s first European final since 2006
when they lost to Barcelona. ‘The Europa League is important for us, everyone knows that,’ said Wenger. ‘We are at a stage where we focus on it because in the Premier League we have a very, very, very slim chance to move further up, so the Europa League is one of the big targets now.’ Arsenal need only avoid a calamity against CSKA to proceed to the last four and will use Barcelona’s demise in the Champions League to guard against complacency. Like CSKA, Roma trailed 4-1 against Barca after the first leg but won 3-0 in Italy to complete an upset. ‘It came at the perfect time for us,’ said Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi. ‘You are never safe, especially when you win at home and then go away.’ Arsenal are in good form having won six in a row and they have performed better away from home in Europe than in domestic competitions this season. ‘We are not under threat of complacency,’ said Wenger. ‘We know this is an important target for us to go as far as possible. Maybe Barcelona is a good warning for us.’ Arsenal are without Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has a knee injury, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is cup-tied. Granit Xhaka has stayed in London with flu. Nonetheless, Arsenal will expect to be in tomorrow’s draw for the semi-finals.