Arsene Wenger is hoping the luck of the Champions League draw will favour his
team after a 2-0 defeat against Napoli left the Gunners in second place in
their group
Arsène Wenger admitted to his “regret” last night at Arsenal’s failure to win
Group F and admitted that he was now left hoping for some luck when the draw
for the knockout phase of the Champions League was made on Monday.
Arsenal have drawn Bayern Munich, Barcelona and AC Milan in the last 16 during the past three years and will face a
similarly difficult challenge this season. Had they avoided defeat against
Napoli, or if Borussia Dortmund had not scored their 87th-minute winning
goal in Marseille, Arsenal would have finished top of the group and faced
Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Schalke, Zenit St Petersburg or
AC Milan.
Asked if there were regrets, Wenger said: “Yes of course. That is the
frustration because you feel it was open to do better. But it could have
been worse as well. Of course to finish second makes the potential draw more
difficult.
“In the last four or five years we have always had a difficult draw. Maybe
this year we will be a bit luckier. We qualified for the 14th consecutive
year for the last 16. Maybe number 14 will give us a bit of luck. A lot can
change for us and the team we face.”
Per Mertesacker felt that the Arsenal players has taken “a little break” and
felt they were not 100 per cent concentrated last night. “We were always on
the back foot, we took a little break I think but we will be back on
Saturday,” he said. “It’s always the same, you give 10 per cent less
mentally because we knew we were through.”
Wenger felt that his team had suffered from fatigue and he made repeated
mention of a fixture schedule. Arsenal now have to prepare to face Manchester City in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
“We felt we prepared quite well for this game and concentrated but were a bit in between, 'do we attack or do we defend’,” Wenger said. “It is always difficult to cope with that problem. I felt in the second half our legs went a bit and Napoli were sharper. Now we give absolutely everything on Saturday morning.
“For us it gives us a little breather now to focus on the championship. We have to fly directly to Manchester because the game is so early.”
Wenger was also unhappy at how Mikel Arteta was sent off for two yellow cards. “When we were down to 10 men and at 1-0 down doubt crept in a little bit – it was a difficult moment,” he said. “He is absolutely convinced he didn’t make a foul and that it was very harsh.”
Rafael Benítez, the Napoli manager, believes that Arsenal still have a chance of winning the Champions League. “They have a group with quality, the right mentality,” he said. “I think Arsenal are one of the candidates to be there at the end.”
“We felt we prepared quite well for this game and concentrated but were a bit in between, 'do we attack or do we defend’,” Wenger said. “It is always difficult to cope with that problem. I felt in the second half our legs went a bit and Napoli were sharper. Now we give absolutely everything on Saturday morning.
“For us it gives us a little breather now to focus on the championship. We have to fly directly to Manchester because the game is so early.”
Wenger was also unhappy at how Mikel Arteta was sent off for two yellow cards. “When we were down to 10 men and at 1-0 down doubt crept in a little bit – it was a difficult moment,” he said. “He is absolutely convinced he didn’t make a foul and that it was very harsh.”
Rafael Benítez, the Napoli manager, believes that Arsenal still have a chance of winning the Champions League. “They have a group with quality, the right mentality,” he said. “I think Arsenal are one of the candidates to be there at the end.”
