Per Mertesacker made the stark admission that Arsenal had effectively bottled the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Monaco. The 3-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium has left them with what Arsène Wenger has described as a mountain to climb and it is one that is rather steeper than the incline up to the casino here in Monte Carlo.
In simple terms, Arsenal must do in the second leg on Tuesday what has never been done before in Champions League knockout phase history – turn around a two-goal deficit from the home leg. It has led to plenty of talk of it being Monte Carlo or bust for Arsenal but Mertesacker summed up the mood within the squad, which is one of hope and bullish confidence.
“We know that [in the] first leg, we weren’t really up for it mentally,” Mertesacker said. “From the start, you could feel that and, at times, we could feel that there was a bit of a pressure and we couldn’t cope with that. But we feel like, especially after that game, we moved on and improved a lot. That is why we are very confident that, even away from home, we can beat any team in the world.”
Arsenal have been pilloried at regular intervals in recent years for being a soft touch and the first leg against Monaco seemed to encapsulate all of their worst traits. But, since then, they have won four out of four in the Premier League and they feel they have the platform to shape an outlandish piece of history.
Wenger spent seven years in charge at Monaco and he never visited the casino. He joked that he was too much of a workaholic to visit many places apart from the club’s training ground and stadium. But he talked the talk on his first competitive return to this part of the Côte d’Azur and he pledged to come up with the right numbers.
“The statistics are against us,” Wenger said. “The result in the first leg is against us. We are conscious about that. But no matter how big the percentage is, we have to give absolutely everything to make the stats lie. That’s our desire and it’s our belief that we can do it.
“Ideally, you always want to score early goals but I believe that you have just to play with full power and not forget your organisation or your structure in the team. The goals come when they come. Focus on the quality of your game on both sides, defensively and offensively.”
Wenger talked about how it felt “special” to be back here but that it would have been much more pleasurable if it were merely a social visit to catch up with old friends. This is business, he stressed. And it is the same for Olivier Giroud, the striker who spurned a host of chances in the first leg but has since rediscovered his rhythm and edge in the league.
Monaco’s defence is famously tight – they have conceded only one goal at home in their past 12 matches in all competitions, while the last time they conceded three at this stadium was three-and-a-half years ago.
“Giroud owes the revenge to himself,” Wenger said. “He owes a great performance to himself, as all the greatest strikers want to do as well as possible on the pitch. He missed a few opportunities in the first leg but what striker doesn’t miss an opportunity. I really think he is at the international level. He has the right mental level.”
Arsenal are seeking to avoid a last-16 exit for the fifth season in succession but Wenger highlighted his club’s “outstanding” record in France as he sought to further the case for the shock result. They have never lost on French soil, winning seven and drawing three.
Mertesacker added: “We are coming out of a great week with two important wins and we have a good level of confidence. During the season, we responded well at times but we have to face the truth: we have to show a different face. We need to embrace the challenge. We are quite confident at the moment and we want to put things right.”