Arsene Wenger: 'I know it is difficult to take but I believe we produced a quality performance against possibly the best team in Europe at the moment'

Published: 17 March, 2016
by RICHARD OSLEY

ARSENAL gave it a spirited go in Barcelona last night (Wednesday), but, to the shock of absolutely no one, were knocked out of the Champions League by the holders.

The Gunners, losers in the Nou Camp 3-1 to complete an aggregate defeat of 5-1, now head to Everton on Saturday desperately hoping they can claw back ground on rivals Spurs and Premiership leaders Leicester City in their fizzling domestic campaign.

Anything less than a victory at Goodison Park could see the final thread of their season unravel, having also lost to Watford in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.

By the end of the weekend, Arsenal could be 14 points behind and playing only for a top-four spot, missing out on silverware for the first time in three seasons.

There were bright periods against Barcelona in which Arsene Wenger’s men seemed determined not to be in awe of their formidable hosts. In fact, it was the kind of performance which should have been produced against teams such as Swansea and Southampton when the club was searching for league points.

But when Neymar exposed sloppy defending on 17 minutes and raced clear to open the scoring it was clear there would be no fairytale story to take home to north London. Mohammed Elneny equalised just after half-time for the Gunners – his first since joining the club – but Luis Suarez’s peachy volley ensured the final quarter of the match was a slow death. 

Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and sub Theo Walcott all had chances to score, but, as so often, it was Lionel Messi who had the final say. Making the most of hesitant Arsenal defending, he wriggled through the gaps in the final moments before delivering a trademark chip into the far corner.

Wenger has insisted in recent weeks that his and the club’s performance should only be judged at the end of the season.

Last night there was a moment when he thought it might all fall Arsenal’s way. “There was a turning point at 1-1 when I could feel them wobbling a little bit,” he said. “Had we scored the second goal I think we could have created a sensation tonight. But we didn’t.”

The manager added: “I know it is difficult to take but I believe we produced a quality performance against possibly the best team in Europe at the moment. It was a great game between two good teams. We went out with regrets, of course, but I think that they have exceptional quality up front and you feel if you make any little mistake at the back they can take advantage of it.”