|
|
Wilshere: Arsenal can save season in Champions League
18/02/2013 6:50:00 PM
The England midfielder has urged the club to unite ahead of the visit of Bayern Munich for the first leg of the last 16 tie at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday
Jack Wilshere has called on Arsenal to take Chelsea as inspiration and salvage their season in the Champions League as they prepare to face Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the competition on Tuesday.The Gunners' hopes of ending their silverware drought, which stretches back to 2005, took another blow on Saturday when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Blackburn.
The Arsenal fans voiced their discontent at the end of the match at Emirates Stadium but Wilshere has urged the club to unite and repeat the Blues' unlikely European triumph.
"Chelsea are an inspiration for everyone," Wilshere told reporters. "They weren't having a good season and OK they got a bit lucky in some games.
"But they showed great character and we need to do that. We need to come together as a team. We have good leaders here, a good team atmosphere. That's going to help us.
"Our fans are always great, especially in Europe. They love the European nights here. We need everyone behind us that night. They will be naturally disappointed and we accept that. But we need everyone behind us."
Wilshere admitted that Arsenal would need to quickly bounce back from the disappointment of going out of a second cup competition to lower-league opposition.
Arsene Wenger's team had previously been knocked out of the Capital One Cup at the quarter-final stage to League Two outfit Bradford.
"It's disappointing to go out of the FA Cup," he rued. "We know what this trophy means in England and we wanted to go all the way.
"Everyone said it was our best chance of a trophy. But obviously it wasn't! We have to regroup now. We have a big game here against Bayern. We need the fans behind us.
"We know what Bayern are capable of. They have a great team. We have to show our character. We've beaten big European teams here before so we need to do it again."
| 100% first deposit bonus up to $200 |
|
Related Stories
Inside Goal.Com
-
Top 10 all-time Champions League scorers
As the competition moves within days of its much-anticipated conclusion at Wembley, Goal profiles the most prolific players in its history
-
Dortmund better off in final without Gotze
Sham Majid believes Borussia Dortmund will benefit - rather than be hurt - by the absence of Bayern Munich-bound Mario Gotze in Saturday's Champions League
-
'Mario, you will never redeem yourself'
Mario Gotze's injury means the playmaker has now played his final game for Borussia Dortmund. In an open letter, a fan tells of his emotion at his controversial switch to Bayern
-
BVB's rise from the abyss to European contenders
BVB have recovered from teetering on the edge of bankruptcy to take their place on Europe's grandest stage, humbling their opponents on Saturday, Bayern Munich, along the way
-
The top-30 EAFF clubs: Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Goal Asia will list its top-30 EAFF clubs, featuring the heavyweights of Japan, China, Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong. This time, it is Sanfrecce Hiroshima who are the focus