Arsene Wenger slammed his Arsenal flops as naive and self-defeating after their defensive meltdown allowed AS Monaco to clinch a stunning 3-1 win in the Champions League last 16 first leg.
Wenger’s side were widely expected to see off the French club and advance to the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2010.
But instead they are on the verge of a fifth consecutive last 16 exit following an incredible meltdown at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Geoffrey Kondogbia’s first half strike was followed by a cool finish from former Tottenham forward Dimitar Berbatov and, although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got one back for Arsenal in the 90th minute, there was time for Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco to score Monaco’s third and leave Arsenal needing a herculean effort in the second leg on March 17.
In the heat of an immediate post-match press conference, Wenger is usually composed enough to deflect questions that ask him to criticise his players.
But after one of the most chastening defeats of his 19-year Arsenal reign – at the hands of the club where he made his managerial reputation – the 65-year-old was unable to conceal his frustration.
Taking aim at the careless play of Arsenal’s defenders and the needlessly gung-ho attitude of the rest of the team, he said: “It was a horrible night. We missed chances,” said the Frenchman, adding that he felt his club needlessly and continuously put themselves at a disadvantage.
“Their first goal was unlucky with the deflection but the second and third were suicidal. We cannot give away the third goal like we did.
“The balance wasn’t right and when we lost the ball we were exposed. I was most disappointed by our defensive naivety.
“It looks like we lost our nerves and our rationality. The heart took over the head and at this level that doesn’t work.
“Mentally we weren’t sharp enough to get into this game and we paid for it.”
After getting their domestic form back on track in recent weeks, this was a return to the kind of mentally fragile and defensively sloppy display that has so often ruined Arsenal’s hopes in Europe in the Wenger era.
And Wenger suggested his players may have taken victory for granted.
“I hope we weren’t complacent, but it looks when you have no sharpness that anything is possible,” he said.
“We rushed our game. The difference was the mentality, we were too impatient because this is a game of 180 minutes.”
Arsenal now need a three-goal victory to complete an escape in the return at the Stade Louis II.
But Monaco haven’t conceded three goals at home in any match this season and no team has lost a Champions League first-leg knockout tie at home by two goals and progressed to the next round since Ajax in 1969.
“The task is massive now. The third goal makes it even more difficult,” Wenger said.
“We have a much smaller chance but no matter how big the size is we will go for it.”
After a fairly underwhelming Ligue 1 campaign, this was a remarkably mature and clinical display from a Monaco team missing several key players.
It was such a surprising victory that it even received royal approval, with Prince Albert of Monaco joining the players on the pitch to celebrate at full-time.
Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim said he felt Arsenal would be vulnerable if his side could survive the early storm from the hosts, who he believed were too attacking for their own good.
“We analysed Arsenal beforehand and we knew they have been a lot stronger in the first half and struggle a bit after the interval,” he said.
“Football is an art, you need to know how to attack and defend. We are a very balanced side.
“It is difficult to score a lot of goals in the Champions League, but today with the space Arsenal gave us we were able to exploit it.”
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
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FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
