Wenger 'very sad' after Arsenal's Europa League exit
Arsene Wenger's final season as Arsenal manager will end without silverware.
Thursday night's Europa League semi-final in Madrid represented Wenger's last opportunity to hang onto any chance of ending his Arsenal career on a high following April's confirmation that he'll leave after 22 years in charge.
Atletico Madrid denied Wenger's attempt to deliver a European title for the first time under his leadership by defeating Arsenal 2-1 on aggregate, moving on to the Europa League final in Lyon, France, where the Spanish side will face Marseille.
"I am like the team - very sad and very disappointed," the 68-year-old said after Arsenal's 1-0 loss, according to the Guardian's David Hynter.
Arsene Wenger has taken charge of his final European match as Arsenal manager. His European record with the Gunners:
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) May 3, 2018
P216 W110 D48 L58
Seasons in Europe: 22
Semi-finals: 4 (W2 L2)
Finals
2000 UEFA Cup – L4-1 on pens v Galatasaray (after 0-0)
2006 CL – L2-1 v Barcelona#UEL pic.twitter.com/ZhlwcaSU2h
Arsenal came up short against an organised Atletico defence that produced its 12th clean sheet at the Wanda Metropolitano by denying the Premier League side's attempts to cancel out Diego Costa's first-half winner.
The loss leaves Arsenal without an avenue to next season's Champions League (the Gunners would have qualified for the tournament by winning the Europa League), as the north London outfit will finish outside the top four for a second consecutive season.
"I am even very frustrated, as well, because when you go out of a competition and you had the performances over the 180 minutes that we had, it is very difficult to take," he said.
"... I think there are some good ingredients in our team and they will bounce back. These players have quality and, with the right additions in the summer, the team will compete next year.
"I have no plans at the moment. I have to recover first from a huge disappointment. I’m very, very sad to leave the club with that exit. I will take some time to recover from this. The game can be very cruel; sometimes it is very nice. But the suffering is very strong tonight."
Instead of securing a European title to close out his illustrious career, it appears that Wenger's last bit of silverware as Arsenal manager could be the vase he received as a parting gift from Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend.
Wenger's final home match in charge of Arsenal is Sunday against Burnley, and his final game takes place just over a week later at Kirklees Stadium against Huddersfield.