Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger stays cool over Monaco reunion in Champions League

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Romance is in the air for Arsene Wenger this week. Or it should be. If there’s one Champions League last-16 clash that tugs at the heartstrings then it’s Arsenal’s clash against Monaco.

Wenger will, for the first time, go head to head with the club he left in 1994 after seven years — in which time he won a Ligue 1 title and a Coupe de France. 

However, the Gunners boss, whose side improved their top-four hopes with victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, is lukewarm about the reunion.

Arsene Wenger insists he hasn't thought about the reunion with his former side Monaco this week

Wenger pictured as Monaco manager all the way back in 1987

‘Have I thought about Monaco? Not at all — I have enough experience to know that the most important game is the next one,’ said the Frenchman.

‘Honestly, I haven’t. What has been important for me has been to win at Palace.

‘We have fought like mad to come back in a strong position in the league. Not to win at Palace would have been disastrous.’

Perhaps Wenger will show more emotion when he returns to the Principality ahead of the second leg on March 17. The prospect of a place in the Champions League quarter-finals is likely to warm the manager’s heart, too.

Arsenal have crashed out at the last-16 stage in the past four seasons, twice against Bayern Munich, once against AC Milan and once against Barcelona.

The clash against Monaco, on paper, seems much more winnable. But the Arsenal manager is refusing to count his chickens.

Alan Pardew was proud of his Crystal Palace side for their efforts against Arsenal

‘The last 16 in recent years has been super-tough,’ said Wenger. ‘But this is a 50-50 game. Monaco are very tight defensively and they conceded once in the group stage. It is two good teams. So for us, it’s a tricky but a possible tie.

‘It really is a 50-50. They have followed a similar pattern to us. They have come back in their championship, so their confidence will be high.’

Palace manager Alan Pardew says his players should take huge confidence from pushing the Gunners all the way on Saturday.

Going in 2-0 down at half-time following goals from Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud, Palace went within inches of securing a point after Glenn Murray scored in stoppage time before hitting the post in the final attack of the game.

Glenn Murray (far right) netted in stoppage time to give Crystal Palace hope against Arsenal

Pardew said: ‘I think we should have a little more confidence in what we have in the dressing room, and I think they showed that against Arsenal. They believed it against Arsenal for the first time since I’ve been here.

‘We’ve won games because we’ve been resilient and we do have attacking flair on the break. 

'But we can also mix it and take it to the opposition, and I was very proud of the team today that they believed they could do it, and they almost achieved it.

‘I’m pleased that they believe they can take a game to the likes of Arsenal because we’ve got some big clubs to come here still — Manchester United and Man City.

‘And we can mix it with them and we’ve got to believe that. Of course the next three games are in and around that mid-table and we’ve got to exploit that situation.’