In today’s roundup, Laurent Koscielny has protested about the team’s continued failure in the Champions League following their quarter final exit in the hands of AS Monaco. The French international has cried foul, and rightly so, considering that the last time the Gunners featured in the semi-finals was in 2008.
Elsewhere, Arsene Wenger has claimed that we might just be better off in the Europa League following the early Champions League exit against ‘beatable’ AS Monaco. Is Wenger really serious? Has the gaffer finally tapped out on winning the much coveted Champions League trophy? These and more interesting stories in today’s news roundup.
Koscielny laments repetitive early Champions League exit
Despite a spirited fight to win 2-0 against AS Monaco on Tuesday night, Arsenal ended their Champions League run before the quarter finals on away goals after registering a 3-3 aggregate score line. This season’s exit was all the more disappointing considering that we were given a more ‘beatable’ opponent compared to the previous seasons where we had to play against the likes of Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Barcelona.
Laurent Koscielny has come out to condemn our consistent falling at the first huddle of the knock out stages of the Champions League. The French international emphasized the need to play well in both legs so as to avoid overworking themselves in the last match.
We say same thing every year.
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Our first game is catastrophic. We have to put it right… play well in both games.
This season Arsenal had me grinning at how easily we had gotten into the quarter-finals. We really need to put our house in order, and fast.
Wenger: Arsenal might be better off in the Europa League
Following our premature Champions League exit – in the round of 16 – at the hands of Ligue One side AS Monaco, Arsene Wenger has joked that Arsenal could register more success in the Europa League
Arsenal won 2-0 at the Stade Louis II courtesy of Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey but the goals were not enough to help the Premier League side progress into the last 8. Following the exit, the gaffer has joked that his side might have a better chance of winning the Europa League as compared to the Champions League where early exits are nowadays the norm rather than the exception.
Asked if he was unhappy at repeated exits in the round of 16, Wenger said:
Yes, but sometimes we have been beaten by opponents who were in the final.
Perhaps it would be better not to go out like this and make the Europa League, we would be more likely to win.
Early exits in the Champions League should be a worry not only to Arsenal but English football as an entity because while no Premier League club has made it into the last 8 of the Champions League, Spain has Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid all in the last 8.
Monaco boss takes bizarre swipe at Arsenal and Arsene Wenger
Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim has taken a go at Arsene Wenger, criticizing him after Arsenal’s Champions League exit at the hands of the French side. Jardim accused Wenger of disrespecting him, claiming that the French man refused to shake his hand during his side’s 3-1 triumph at the Emirates. He said he in return snubbed Arsene Wenger after Arsenal’s 2-0 win at the Stade Louis II.
In the first leg, when I wanted to shake his hand, he did not thank me, so this time, even though Arsenal did everything possible to go through, I chose not to thank him reports Guardian.
Go home Leonardo Jardim, you’re drunk!
Other interesting news on allarsenal.com
Aaron Ramsey: Arsenal always make hard work of it in the Champions League.
Arsenal still has a chance to make history.
Arsene Wenger hits out at referee following Arsenal’s Champions League exit.
I am proud to be an Arsenal fan.
Serge Gnabry back to full fitness and training with the first team.
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