Arsene Wenger has hailed his Arsenal team for finally reaching Barcelona’s level, with their first-leg performance at Bayern Munich coming hot on the heels of Barça’s equally impressive showing against PSG.
The Gunners’ organisation, commitment and intensity drew widespread comparison with the Catalan giants, and vindicated Wenger’s insistence that he could reproduce Luis Enrique’s work in north London.
Barcelona showed what they’re made of this week, but I think it’s clear Arsenal are made of the same stuff
“In November 2015, when we’d just been beaten 5-1 by Bayern Munich, people wondered if we would ever get to Barcelona’s level,” said Wenger after the game. “Well, I think you have your answer.
“For many years we have been called Barcelona-lite, but I don’t think the term Barcelona-lite makes sense any more,” he added. “Barcelona showed what they’re made of this week, but I think it’s clear Arsenal are made of the same stuff. In fact, unless you were trained as a forensic investigator, you’d struggle to tell us apart.”
Made it
Wiping away tears of satisfaction, Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez said: “Many people said we wouldn’t do it, but look at our transfers, our training, our tactics. We’ve been building towards the Bayern result for a long time. I can say with confidence that today I am clearer than ever about my future at this club.”
Arsenal fan Clive Morris said: “The experts said you couldn’t just stand still and hope to catch up with Barcelona that way, and that Francis Coquelin would never be compared to Sergio Busquets, but we proved them wrong last night.
“Everyone’s comparing us to Barcelona, but I reckon if we play like this in the home leg, we will soon be mentioned alongside that legendary Brazil team of 2014.”
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