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.

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