Arsenal : Wenger eyes European improvement as Arsenal face PSG
Arsene Wenger is looking for Arsenal to show
greater consistency in the Champions League,
starting with a positive result when they begin
their campaign at Paris Saint-Germain on
Tuesday.
A year ago the Gunners lost their opening two
group games before scraping through to the last
16 behind Bayern Munich, only to fall at that stage
for the sixth year running.
The key to returning to the latter stages is winning
Group A to thereby set up an easier draw in the
first knockout round, and so taking points off the
French champions at the Parc des Princes could
be crucial.
“Last year we had a bad start because we lost our
first game at Dinamo Zagreb and after we had the
hiccup at home against Olympiakos and Bayern
was a bit more consistent,” Wenger said at a
press conference on Monday.
“What we need to do to win the group is make a
good result here tomorrow.”
The last time Arsenal won their Champions
League group was in 2011/12, when they finished
ahead of another French side in Marseille.
With Basel and Ludogorets Razgrad completing
the Group A line-up, the Gunners and the French
champions are expected to be fighting it out for
first place.
While Wenger’s side are fresh from back-to-back
Premier League wins against Watford and
Southampton, PSG have been in poor form under
their new coach Unai Emery.
They followed a 3-1 defeat at Monaco before the
recent international break by drawing 1-1 at home
to Saint-Etienne on Friday, but Wenger remains
wary of them.
“They are a bit like us with a number of players
who came back a bit late (from summer holidays),
so they have had to an extent the same problems
as us,” Wenger said.
“They were in the same hotel as us in Los Angeles
when Thiago Silva got injured and he has still not
come back, but I am not too worried for them
because they have been well above the rest of the
teams in their league in recent years and I expect
to see a different PSG in the Champions League.”
– Slow start –
PSG’s fourth consecutive elimination in the
quarter-finals of this competition, to Manchester
City, ultimately led to Laurent Blanc being sacked
in the summer, with Emery replacing him.
But pressure is already building on the Spaniard
after their slow start to the Ligue 1 campaign.
“I have come here with my experience and with a
lot of demands. The demand on me is to win and
that is no different to when I started out in Spain
12 years ago,” said Emery.
The 44-year-old won the Europa League with
Sevilla in each of the last three seasons but has
no real track record in the Champions League.
“I accept my responsibility, but I need time. I am
convinced we are going to improve and Tuesday
is the first chance to show that. The most
important thing is the team and I am happy with
what I see,” added Emery.
Paris have selection problems in defence with
Layvin Kurzawa out injured and captain Silva not
having featured this season due to fitness
concerns of his own.
Hatem Ben Arfa is also absent, and youngster
Presnel Kimpembe could start at left-back.
Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s departure does
not diminish Paris as an attacking force in the
eyes of Arsenal’s Spanish full-back Hector
Bellerin.
Created at 2016-09-13 01:30:06
Back to posts
UNDER MAINTENANCE
Online : 1 user | Today : 40 user | This Week : 40 user | This Month : 1059 user | Total all : 503904 Visitor
HAHAHAHAHA!! arsenal dont be afraid