Arsène Wenger hurting but Monaco’s Jardim accuses Arsenal of disrespect

Arsène Wenger felt the turn of the knife after Arsenal had once again come up narrowly short in the Champions League as the Monaco manager, Leonardo Jardim, accused him of showing disrespect.
Arsenal won 2-0 at the Stade Louis II in the last-16 second leg but it was not enough to prevent going out on away goals after their 3-1 first-leg defeat at the Emirates Stadium three weeks ago. Following exits at the same stage to Barcelona, Milan and Bayern Munich twice in the previous four years, Wenger said that this one had hurt him the most.

Arsène Wenger says Arsenal better off dropping into Europa League

Arsène Wenger's comments were evidence of how hard Arsenal's latest last-16 Champions League exit had hit him. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

Arsène Wenger was so distraught at the finality of Arsenal’s Champions League exit that he wondered whether it might have been better for the club to have dropped down into the Europa League and remained alive in European competition.
The manager offered the bleak and introspective comments in the wake of the last-16 second leg at Monaco, which Arsenal won 2-0 only to exit on away goals. It was the fifth season in succession that Wenger’s team had exited at this stage and, once again, the closing months of their season will be free of European football.
“Maybe it would be better not to advance from the group phase and play the Europa League than be eliminated right away in the last 16,” Wenger said. “We would have more chances to win a title.”
Wenger went on to say that if a club went “out after the group stages, you have no chances after to play again, like you do in the Europa League”.
If Arsenal had finished third, rather than second, in their Champions League group, they would have entered the Europa League and, possibly, fancied themselves to progress in the competition.

Forget about Monaco, Arsène Wenger has an excellent Arsenal team lurking in there

Arsenal’s Mesut Özil leaves the pitch in Monaco in dismay after the team’s Champions League exit - but all is not doom and gloom for the Gunners. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Midway through Tuesday night’s fluent, dominant, pointless 2-0 defeat of Monaco Arsenal’s players might just have been tempted to chuck in the odd helpful stray pass, or to offer some encouraging words during breaks in play. Come on, chaps. Buck up a bit. You’re supposed to be the kind of side that beats teams like us 3-1 at home.
Instead, for Arsenal this was the kind of performance that’s so good it makes you look bad: a 2-0 away win that could have been double that against opponents revealed on the night as game but limited middle-rankers. But who were still good enough to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League before the quarter-final stage once again. So after the same old defeat, welcome to the same old analysis. Yes, it’s deja vu all over again for Arsenal and for those who would pronounce on Arsenal, with large swathes of the footballing commentariat reduced to a version of what many critics see in Arsenal’s manager: here we are again, a nation of keyboard Arsène Wengers seeing only the same shapes, the same flaws, the same outcomes.

More Arsenal Soccer Schools in USA

Arsenal Football Club is delighted to announce the further expansion of Arsenal Soccer Schools USA.
In 2014, Arsenal Soccer Schools launched centres in New York, Boston, New Jersey and Connecticut. Following a successful premiere summer, the Arsenal Soccer Schools USA are expanding to three more locations including Bethesda, MD, Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach, FL.
The US Arsenal Soccer Schools give youngsters of all abilities the chance to ‘Learn to Play the Arsenal Way’, with the Gunners’ qualified coaches employing the same training philosophies as Arsène Wenger and his backroom staff. Both day and residential courses will be on offer, during June and July, for players aged between six and 16.
Arsenal Soccer Schools USA Executive Director David Evans said: “Over the past year, the response to the Arsenal Soccer Schools has been tremendous. Soccer is really gaining popularity across America, and it is great to be able to offer more young players the chance to receive the best quality training from our coaches.
“Passionate soccer players of all ages will love using the same drills and tactics as Arsenal’s professional players do in the English Premier League.”
Registration is open now for this summer’s new Arsenal Soccer Schools: The Palm Beach, FL camp, at Mirasol Park: June 8-12, 2015

Team news: Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain

Arsène Wenger has revealed the latest team news ahead of Wednesday night's match against AS Monaco:
on the team news...
The only uncertainty I have at the moment is Jack Wilshere but everybody else is available. He was rested [at training], because he trained hard until now. No, it's not a setback but I don't think [he'll play against Monaco].

on whether Oxlade-Chamberlain has returned to full training…
Yes.