Arsene Wenger has come out fighting after Arsenal’s exit to Bayern Munich by saying that English football has received a wake-up call with no Premier League sides in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1996.
Here’s what he said specifically:
“It’s a massive disappointment for English football because for many years we have not been used to this.”
“It’s a massive wake-up call for us and it means that the rest of European football has caught up with us. We have to take that into consideration when we talk about the Premier League in the future.”
However, I disagree with Wenger. I don’t believe it should be alarm bells ringing in the EPL. Yes, it’s disappointing that Manchester United and Arsenal exited in the round of 16, but both the Red Devils and Gunners were unlucky not to advance. Of course, European football has caught up to the Premier League. That’s why the UEFA Champions League is so exciting to watch. But it doesn’t mean that the Premier League is slipping. At this stage of the tournament, it’s a knock-out competition. Both United and Arsenal faced two of the best teams in Europe in Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
If anything, no Premier League teams in the quarter-finals of the Champions League should be more of a wake-up call for Arsenal than the Premier League especially if the Gunners don’t qualify for the Champions League at the end of this season.
Here are tonight’s Premier League news headlines:
- Arsenal’s Champions League exit a ‘wake-up call’ for English football says Wenger — The Guardian
- So Millwall will face Wigan for a place in the FA Cup final and a European spot — BBC Sport
- Is the away-goals rule counterproductive? It achieves the opposite of what it set out to do — The Guardian
- The Times defends its Qatari football scoop – ‘our story is true’ — The Guardian
- Wenger praised Arsenal’s spirit after an agonising UEFA Champions League exit — Sky Sports
- Andre Villas-Boas promises Spurs will show Inter no mercy — The Guardian
- Chelsea face Monday FA Cup replay against Man Utd less than 48 hours after league game — Telegraph
- FA Cup: Chelsea v Manchester United replay scheduled for Easter Monday — The Independent
- Rafael Benítez expects Chelsea fans to blame him for fixture pile-up — The Guardian
- Maracana may not be ready for England’s visit — The Independent
- Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri may leave as Manchester City plan clear-out — The Guardian
- Carlos Tevez charged with driving while disqualified and without insurance — The Mirror
- Wojciech Szczesny talent not in question, but mistakes cannot be ignored — The Independent
- Cardiff City moves to assure fans over ‘red bluebird’ on club crest — Wales Online
- Eamonn Dolan expected to take charge of Reading match against Man United — The Independent
The Nightly EPL is tomorrow’s news today. It’s often tomorrow morning’s British newspaper headlines that are published the night before. We do all the work for you, combing the Internet and aggregating the news for you. Read The Nightly EPL on EPL Talk every night before bed, so you can stay on top of all the news that matters.
