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Arsene Wenger names 'biggest regret' which he would swap Arsenal Invincibles season for
Arsene Wenger would swap Arsenal's Invincibles season for a Champions League medal.
Arsenal: Arsene Wenger reveals his 'biggest regret' as manager
Arsene Wenger has named his “biggest regret” at Arsenal – and he would even swap the Invincibles season for it. The Frenchman spent 22 years at the Gunners, helping them win three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups. Their biggest achievement, though, was winning the third league trophy without a single loss.
It saw them become only the second team to achieve this after Preston North End in the 1888/89 season, a feat which has still not been matched.
But they almost went one better in the Champions League, losing to Barcelona 2-1 after going down to 10 men on 18 minutes when Jens Lehmann was sent off.
Sol Cambell gave them the lead after 37 minutes – but Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belltti’s goals in the second half won the contest.
It would prove to be the last time Wenger reached a European final with the Gunners before his retirement in 2018.
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And the 70-year-old told talkSPORT that it is a regret on his time in north London to have not tasted European glory.
In the clip, Jamie O’Hara asks if the former Gunners boss would follow in Ray Parlour’s footsteps by swapping the Invincibles title for a Champions League medal.
And he replies: “Yes but in football you have no choice.
“In 2006, we went tot he Champions League and eliminated Real Madrid, Juventus without conceding a goal.
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“With 10 minutes on the clock, we were down to 10 men in our biggest final.
“My biggest regret is that winning the 2006 Champions League would have crowned that golden generation.
“But it wasn’t to be and you have to live with what you don’t like, unfortunately.”
Wenger’s career saw him beat some of the best teams in Europe on the way to both the Invincibles season and Champions League 2006 final.
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But the former Gunners boss snubbed rivals Manchester United and Chelsea when asked about his toughest opponent.
“Team: Wimbledon when I first came to England,” he revealed to BBC Sport.
“Players: Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland - they were always tough to play against.”
While the Frenchman has given an assessment of current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s transfer business and their chances of winning another title.
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