Doomed Arsenal must go down with dignity against Barcelona
Performance is more important than result as Arsene Wenger's team face mission impossible
Arsenal's Champions League trip to Barcelona promises to be a symbolic one that will see Arsene Wenger and his team try to emerge with their reputations intact.
Few, if any, observers believe the Gunners will progress to the next round by inflicting the team's first defeat of Barcelona in 38 games and overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit. But avoiding humiliation is key, not just for their fragile confidence, but for the future of the club.
"The minimum requirement - or even demand among an increasingly fractured supporter base - is that Arsenal stand united, defiant and proud," says James Olley of the London Evening Standard. "They must play for a manager under mounting pressure. They must prove the bottomless faith he has shown in them thus far is not misplaced. There are only so many times they can let him down before the manager’s judgment is proved irrefutably inaccurate.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Barcelona are threatening to make history while Wenger is depicted as the man whose contribution to football’s tapestry is at an end. Arsenal have to show Wenger tonight and for the rest of the season that he is capable of writing a new chapter."
There would be no shame in losing in the Camp Nou, says Sid Lowe in The Guardian. It is "the way that they play on Wednesday night matters, even if the result is not sufficient".
The game is Wenger's 200th in the Champions League, a competition that "that sustains yet torments him at the same time", says Matt Hughes in The Times. Only former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has taken charge for more.
Yet while Wenger's contemporaries have tasted success in Europe, he seems "doomed to end his career without winning the trophy that Ferguson, [Carlo] Ancelotti and [Jose] Mourinho have lifted seven times between them".
Hughes adds: "Barcelona have played a bigger role than most in continuing this enduring torment. And barring a remarkable turn of events tonight, they will have been responsible for three of Arsenal's past seven exits, as well as beating them in the 2006 final in Paris."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Sudoku hard: November 22, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Aston Martin Vanquish: 'the best Aston Martin full stop'?
The Week Recommends The third-generation Vanquish 'offers spectacular performance'
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?
Why everyone's talking about A European court ruling has potentially breathed new life into the breakaway football league
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Pros and cons of VAR in football
Pros and Cons String of mistakes has put new technology under the microscope
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Can Arsenal really win the Premier League title?
feature How the pundits reacted after the Gunners’ late 3-2 victory over Man Utd
By Mike Starling Published
-
Tottenham vs. Arsenal predictions: race for the Premier League top four
feature Expect a ‘seismic’ north London derby with Champions League qualification on the line
By Mike Starling Published
-
€555,237,619: Barcelona deny leaking details of Lionel Messi’s contract
feature Messi scores 650th Barca goal - but salary reports overshadow milestone
By Mike Starling Published
-
Mesut Ozil’s Arsenal exile: footballing reasons or political?
In Depth German playmaker questions the club’s loyalty after omission from the Premier League squad
By Mike Starling Published