BARCA BE WARNED- ARSENE WENGER
Arsenal manager Arsene
Wenger has warned
Barcelona there is no chance
his players will freeze when
they try to avenge last
season's Champions League
defeat against the Spanish
stars.
Wenger knows his side
showed Barca too much
respect as Lionel Messi, Xavi
and company turned on the
style to win their quarter-
final clash 6-3 on aggregate.
But the Gunners have a
chance to make amends in
the last 16 clash, with the
first leg at the Emirates
Stadium on Wednesday, and
Wenger is adamant Arsenal's
improved Premier League
form shows they are now a
stronger and more confident
outfit who won't suffer from
another dose of stage-fright.
"We are in ideal condition to
face them. We have the
belief and confidence and the
players available are close
to 100 percent. That was not
the case last year," Wenger
said.
"In the first half of the home
game last year we were
spectators and a little bit
inhibited. Now I believe we
are a completely different
team.
"We have made our own way
by challenging for the title
when nobody predicted we
would.
"I believe we are a stronger
team because we have
attitude and focus. I have not
seen many teams who have
such a consistent focus
every day to improve.
"But more than looking at the
past we want to show how
good we are. We want to win
this competition, we know we
face the super-favourites
but the only way to do it is to
knock them out.
"The players don't deny the
quality of Barcelona. What is
important is to say 'look who
we are now, we are capable
of knocking you out now'.
That is our target and what
we want to achieve. We have
much more belief."
Pep Guardiola's side are top
of La Liga and playing with
the kind of style and verve
that a purist like Wenger
can't help but admire.
Arsenal can play some
impressive stuff themselves
of course, but Barca's
comfortable victory last
season only added to the
belief that the Gunners are
merely Barcelona-lite.
Although Wenger has total
confidence in his players, he
acknowledges Barca will
present the ultimate test of
their credentials.
"Barcelona at the moment are
the best team in the world
and you think 'if we knock
Barcelona out we have a
good chance to win the
competition'," he said.
"It is the toughest test in
Europe but I believe you can
say we have a good
opportunity to show we are
not the team that played
against them last year.
"Last year they were the
better team, but I believe in
my players, they have the
quality 100 percent to do it.
"Everyone expects an
exciting game because it is
two teams that play quality
football. We want to be
faithful to our philosophy and
pass the ball well so we can
dominate the game."
Wenger can take heart from
the way Sporting Gijon ended
Barca's 16-match winning run
in La Liga with a 1-1 draw at
the weekend and he believes
that disappointing result
could be a blow to the
Spaniards' morale.
"It is always difficult after
internationals but when you
end a series (of wins) it
always takes something out
of you of course," he said.
If Arsenal are to shock Barca
over the two legs, Wenger
will need a pair of herculean
performances from captain
Cesc Fabregas.
The Spain midfielder could
easily have been playing for
Barca in this fixture if
Wenger had bowed to the
player's desire to return to
his former club.
Instead Wenger stuck to his
guns and Fabregas remains
Arsenal's driving force.
Wenger insists Fabregas
won't be distracted by the
prospect of playing a club
who remain close to his
heart.
"He will approach this game
like he approaches every
single game, with a huge
desire to win," Wenger said.
"He is an exceptional player
but also a winner. He wants
to win and when he doesn't
achieve that he is very
frustrated. He will be thinking
what can he do to help the
team win
Wenger has warned
Barcelona there is no chance
his players will freeze when
they try to avenge last
season's Champions League
defeat against the Spanish
stars.
Wenger knows his side
showed Barca too much
respect as Lionel Messi, Xavi
and company turned on the
style to win their quarter-
final clash 6-3 on aggregate.
But the Gunners have a
chance to make amends in
the last 16 clash, with the
first leg at the Emirates
Stadium on Wednesday, and
Wenger is adamant Arsenal's
improved Premier League
form shows they are now a
stronger and more confident
outfit who won't suffer from
another dose of stage-fright.
"We are in ideal condition to
face them. We have the
belief and confidence and the
players available are close
to 100 percent. That was not
the case last year," Wenger
said.
"In the first half of the home
game last year we were
spectators and a little bit
inhibited. Now I believe we
are a completely different
team.
"We have made our own way
by challenging for the title
when nobody predicted we
would.
"I believe we are a stronger
team because we have
attitude and focus. I have not
seen many teams who have
such a consistent focus
every day to improve.
"But more than looking at the
past we want to show how
good we are. We want to win
this competition, we know we
face the super-favourites
but the only way to do it is to
knock them out.
"The players don't deny the
quality of Barcelona. What is
important is to say 'look who
we are now, we are capable
of knocking you out now'.
That is our target and what
we want to achieve. We have
much more belief."
Pep Guardiola's side are top
of La Liga and playing with
the kind of style and verve
that a purist like Wenger
can't help but admire.
Arsenal can play some
impressive stuff themselves
of course, but Barca's
comfortable victory last
season only added to the
belief that the Gunners are
merely Barcelona-lite.
Although Wenger has total
confidence in his players, he
acknowledges Barca will
present the ultimate test of
their credentials.
"Barcelona at the moment are
the best team in the world
and you think 'if we knock
Barcelona out we have a
good chance to win the
competition'," he said.
"It is the toughest test in
Europe but I believe you can
say we have a good
opportunity to show we are
not the team that played
against them last year.
"Last year they were the
better team, but I believe in
my players, they have the
quality 100 percent to do it.
"Everyone expects an
exciting game because it is
two teams that play quality
football. We want to be
faithful to our philosophy and
pass the ball well so we can
dominate the game."
Wenger can take heart from
the way Sporting Gijon ended
Barca's 16-match winning run
in La Liga with a 1-1 draw at
the weekend and he believes
that disappointing result
could be a blow to the
Spaniards' morale.
"It is always difficult after
internationals but when you
end a series (of wins) it
always takes something out
of you of course," he said.
If Arsenal are to shock Barca
over the two legs, Wenger
will need a pair of herculean
performances from captain
Cesc Fabregas.
The Spain midfielder could
easily have been playing for
Barca in this fixture if
Wenger had bowed to the
player's desire to return to
his former club.
Instead Wenger stuck to his
guns and Fabregas remains
Arsenal's driving force.
Wenger insists Fabregas
won't be distracted by the
prospect of playing a club
who remain close to his
heart.
"He will approach this game
like he approaches every
single game, with a huge
desire to win," Wenger said.
"He is an exceptional player
but also a winner. He wants
to win and when he doesn't
achieve that he is very
frustrated. He will be thinking
what can he do to help the
team win
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