Arsene Wenger
Wenger has offered his verdict on the upcoming Champions League final(Image: Getty Images)
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Arsene Wenger is the last manager to take Arsenal to a Champions League final - and would love to see this generation win the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.
Here, Wenger, FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, tells UEFA about memories of 2006, his pride in seeing Mikel Arteta, his passion for Arsenal and why the club will always be in his heart.
Full Q&A:
What helps as well now is that the away-goals rule has been removed. Before, the team playing at home in the first leg would always think, ‘Let’s not concede a goal.’ We saw how much influence that had on the way teams approached the game. Now you see two good games because teams go for it from the start and try to make the difference. It helps the quality of the competition a lot.
Arteta had total commitment in him. I named him captain because he was always very serious. He had injury problems, especially with his calves, and sometimes when players are away from the game they realise how much they love it and want to stay in it. He had personality, strong beliefs and authority, and that certainly helps him a lot now.
Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger named Mikel Arteta as Arsenal captain(Image: Getty Images)
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Stan Kroenke also decided to invest heavily once he became 100% owner of Arsenal, and the club bought the right players and top players. That’s why Arsenal now have a very big squad and can compete at the top level. And I give credit to Arteta for keeping everybody focused and motivated. That’s not easy with such a big squad.
Paris Saint-Germain have huge attacking potential, but Arsenal also have individual quality and are very strong on set pieces, which can have a huge influence in a final. Once you are 1–0 up, everything starts to play to your strengths when you are strong defensively. Arsenal can always be dangerous.