Arsenal and Arsene Wenger do not have too much time to dwell on the loss at Anfield in the Premier League at the weekend as they have a mountain to climb, with bare foot, this week in the Champions League.
After the first leg of the Round-16 tie against Bayern ended in a 5-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates, the Gunners will need nothing short of a miracle to have a chance of progress in the competition.
Ahead of the second leg at the Emirates, Wenger has a few things to worry about other than fetching a positive result on the night.
Star winger Alexis Sanchez has reportedly been involved in a bust-up with the manager which saw him benched in the game against Liverpool at Anfield. And there were doubts about his position in the squad ahead of this game in London.
However, he is reportedly back in training and Wenger was questioned about his future at the club.
The 28-year old has been extensively linked with an exit recently but Wenger was adamant that it was up to the club to let him go.
Wenger said: ‘Alexis Sanchez has 15 months on his contract so the decision on whether he will be there will depend on Arsenal Football Club, not anyone else.
‘It’s not down to the players to choose a manager. The players have to perform and the board chooses a manager. If I ask you if everyone in your company is behind you, I will promise you I will find someone who is not happy. It’s your bosses who choose.”
Staying on the topic, Wenger also went on to say that it was important for his team to forget about Sanchez and his situation and that they had to focus on the task at hand ahead of this game.
‘It’s about a team performance, not individuals and it’s most important to focus on the collective. Our game is built on collective expression.
‘Sanchez played in all the games and when we didn’t perform away from home we lost. It’s important to perform as a team.
‘We are all proven winners if we play at this level. What is important is to play as a team and football isn’t only about one player. It’s much bigger than that,’ Wenger added.
The Gunners have been knocked out by Bayern in 3 of the last 4 seasons in the Champions League and the manager felt that it was very difficult for his side to cope with such fixtures on a regular basis.
‘I think, first of all, it’s always a difficult period because you play in the last 16 against Barcelona and four times against Bayern Munich. I should look at the recent years and we have done very well from March until May,’ Wenger said.
He was optimistic about his team’s chances, however slim they are, to overturn the odds this week and wanted his team to give their 100% in this game.
He said: ‘The players are ready to fight but I think we live in a world of small margins. If you drop off a little in the belief side it can look like the players doesn’t want to fight, but I 100 per cent believe these players want to fight and want to win.
‘Football is still a game and you only can win if you believe you can win. If you don’t everybody says the same “they don’t want to fight enough”. It’s not only about fight, it’s also the freedom to go for it,’ he added.
A 5-1 deficit has never been turned around in the history of the game but does you think Arsenal have it in them to do it?