‘Arteta’s Arsenal can eclipse Wenger’s Invincibles and do one thing he could not’
Ray Parlour believes Champions League glory will secure Mikel Arteta legendary status at Arsenal.
No manager in the Gunners’ illustrious history has managed to go all the way in Europe’s most prestigious club competition. And that, according to former Highbury ace Parlour, presents Arteta with the perfect opportunity to ink his name into the Arsenal record books. Forever.
For, while ending two decades without a Premier League title is essential for the N5 faithful, becoming the first coach to bring the Champions League to the Emirates would be equally massive. Ahead of Thursday’s group opener, away to Serie A outfit Atalanta, Parlour insisted: “The Champions League would certainly be a great trophy to win from Arsenal’s point of view. Our first one ever!
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“And, obviously, Mikel Arteta will go down in history as a legend here because the club have never won it before. So trying to achieve that that this season is probably as important as trying to stop Manchester City becoming five-timers in the Premier League.”
The Gunners crashed out to Bayern Munich in the last eight last season – and the former England midfielder reckons reaching that stage should be the minimum requirement every year for the North Londoners.
(Image: Reuters)
“Absolutely. You’ve got to be looking at qualifying and then making the quarter-finals at least, “ added the Talksport presenter. “They need to be competing and challenging every season. They have the squad now, a good squad.
“Then it’s about getting that little bit of luck along the way. Those things like keeping players fit for the key games is always vital in the Champions League.”
Remarkably, given how they were unbeatable in their Premier League 2003-04 campaign, Arsenal’s Invincibles, led by French manager Arsene Wenger, never managed to conquer Europe. They came close on several occasions, though, as Parlour, a vital cog in the team’s engine room, recalls with some anguish, citing their failure to lift that trophy as the one major disappointment of his glittering career.
(Image: Getty Images)
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The Gunners suffered last eight exits in 2001 and 2004 before a 2-1 defeat in the 2006 final to Barcelona. Parlour, 51, a three-time Premier League title winner, conceded: “Yes, definitely we should have done it back then – and I’m sure Arsene knows that as well.
“That’s probably my one big regret because I was playing in such a great team and we still didn’t do it. We had the squad of players to do it.
“We were knocked out in the quarters against Valencia in 2000-01. If we’d got through that year we’d have had Leeds in the semis and confident of getting to the final. We were unlucky to lose to Chelsea three years later and then there was the final in 2006.
“I wasn’t there by then but I know what a blow it was for them to lose that game to Barcelona, having a player sent off as well. That sort of thing can happen in football, especially knockout football. You need that luck.”
Parlour is an ambassador for NetBet Online Betting
