Arsene Wenger claims Premier league to be the best of the best in Europe
Arsenal long serving boss Arsene Wenger has argued that the Barclays Premier League teams are the strongest in Europe. The Gunners would be hosting Portuguese side Braga in their opening match of the Champions League on Wednesday night at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal drew against Shakhtar Donetsk and Partizan Belgrade in Group H of the tournament and has been in the quarter finals (or better) for the past three seasons and would be looking for a easier passage into the knockout stages. Last year, however, the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea failed to reach the semi final stage, which was the first time in nearly 7 years that there was no premier league representatives in the last four. The final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan was the first final since 2005 that didn’t have an English opposition.
Gunner’s rivals Tottenham Hotspurs have also joined the Europe’s elite for the first time this season and drew their opening game 2-2 in Germany, where they faced off against Werder Bremen. Wenger, whose side managed to reach the final of the tournament in 2006, argues that there is no reason to believe that the final in Wembley wouldn’t have one of the country’s representatives.
"The Premier League is still the strongest in Europe. What happened last season was an accident, and we have to show that this year."We went out against Barcelona, who were better than us over the two games. We have to come back and show we can compete with them.", claimed manager Arsene Wenger. The Gunner’s chief added that last season, the final between Inter and Munich was much unexpected so the tournament is fairly open.
However, there are as many as 10 teams who are hopeful of playing in the final. Wenger claimed that you can never count out the teams who have always been there and Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are the first that come into mind. Over the past 10 years, these three teams have been in the latter stages of the tournament and expected Tottenham to create a surprise as well.
Wenger claimed that playing in the Champions League exploits your weaknesses and the teams have a chance to improve on every front. Any slack in any department at such a high level would give the opponents the chance to be punished almost instantly. Abou Diaby is expected to sit out of the Braga encounter but there are strong chances of centre back Thomas Vermaelen coming through with his Achilles injury.
Gunners star forwards Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie would still be unavailable for selection so newly signed striker Marouane Chamakh is all set to lead the Arsenal front line. Chamakh has been impressive with his new club, scoring twice in four appearances, which has left a good impression on the manager. The manager praised Chamakh’s ability and stated that the player has done fairly well. Wenger added that Chamakh is in love with the physical play in England and absolutely loves challenges. His aerial ability is beyond a doubt extraordinary as he has scored both the goals using his head. In his 302 appearances for his former club Bordeaux, Chamakh has scored 76 times.
The Gunners boss claimed Chamakh to be an intelligent player, who has adapted to Arsenal’s style of play fairly quickly, making him a true team player. That is important for any player, since even if the striker misses an opportunity or two, his overall contributions towards the overall team play still remains high.
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