Having come so close to winning the Champions League 20 years ago, Arsène Wenger is backing our current side to put things right in Saturday’s final against Paris Saint-Germain, and finally allow him to see his beloved Arsenal become European champions.
Our legendary boss achieved an Invincible season, two domestic doubles and a record seven FA Cup triumphs as our manager across 22 years, but the one thing that eluded him was the European Cup, coming so close in 2006 when he guided us to the final in Paris where we were pipped by Barcelona.
It has taken us two decades to get back to football’s biggest club game, but now we are there, Arsène believes our long wait for continental glory will end against the holders in Budapest, and he can’t wait to cheer us on.
“I want this trophy to go to Emirates Stadium because it’s missing there,” he told UEFA. “We touched it before - we were 13 minutes away from winning it - so you want it to happen this time.
“I’ve always said that you work in a club to make sure it’s in a good position to continue to progress. Overall, I believe this is a stage where we can grab it. I still believe it’s 50/50 in the final, and if I had to bet, I would bet on Arsenal more than on Paris Saint-Germain.
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“A final is a final. The most important thing is that your team is not inhibited or impressed by the occasion and continues to focus on what it does well. This Arsenal team’s main strength is their ability to keep a clean sheet, and in a final that is very important.
“Then you have to be efficient. Your moment will come in the game and you have to be ruthless. 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.”
Arsène, who is currently FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, helped transform our fortunes after arriving in north London in 1996, and, having watched from afar since his departure in 2018, has kept a close eye on our fortunes.
“I think Arsenal have slowly built a history that now allows them to win it"
Mikel Arteta’s tenure has seen us gradually return to the pinnacle of English football by winning our first Premier League title since Arsène lifted the trophy in 2004, and the Frenchman believes that we’re perfectly equipped to go all the way this season and complete a historic season as English and European champions, a feat to match his Invincible achievements.
On what a Champions League success would mean, he added: “I feel the club deserves it, this season deserves it and the consistency of the team deserves it.
“When I arrived at Arsenal, the club had very little Champions League history. Then we had 20 consecutive years of qualification, and now the crown of that history would be to become champions.
“I think Arsenal have slowly built a history that now allows them to win it. I also feel the time has come for Arsenal to dominate the Premier League consistently. I’m very keen to see Arsenal play in the final and I’m convinced we will have a great game.”
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It was Arsène who first brought Mikel to N5 when he signed him from Everton in 2011, and would oversee his five seasons at Emirates Stadium, eventually promoting him to captain.
He admits it was clear that the Spanish midfielder possessed the qualities and skillset required to manage at the top, and enjoyed discussing the game and their team with him regularly as he watched the seed of a coaching career begin to hatch.
Reflecting on their time together, Arsène added: “He was a player who was highly focused, motivated, interested in team play and very football-obsessed, like many Spanish players are. Midfielders especially often love this job because they are at the centre of offensive and defensive problems.
“Overall, top-level players are intelligent and many of them have the ingredients to become managers. Arteta had total commitment. 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.
“Players always know what the problems of a team are — they do not always tell you, but they know. He had the character to talk about it, and then he decided to do his coaching licences. Many players fail because they do not take time to learn the job, but he did.
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“He became Pep Guardiola’s assistant, which was a great experience for him. He learned a lot quickly because he’s intelligent. He experienced football first as a player and then from the inside as an assistant manager without having the full responsibility, and that helps a lot.”
Mikel has admitted reaching out to his former mentor for advice in the past, so if he did ahead of the final, what would Arsène suggest?
“Do what you usually do and try to be relaxed, even though I know that’s impossible,” he revealed. “Instil strong belief in your team. He knows how to do that. He knows the players better than I do. Keep the togetherness the team has shown all season and that will be enough.”
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