Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger Reached Milestone Honour!
Arsene Wenger admits he will be honoured to manage his 200th European game tonight.
The Arsenal boss reaches the impressive milestone in the Champions League clash against Olympiakos in the Greek capital Athens. With his team having already secured top place in Group F, Wenger will field a vastly different side to the one which crushed Wigan 4-0 on Saturday.
Instead, the Frenchman will be able to savour a double century in Europe — with his first season on the road coming in 1988 when he took Monaco to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.
Wenger, who took charge of Arsenal in 1996, said: "It is an impressive number because 200 games usually make a whole career. It's a privilege to play 200 games in Europe. "It has meant many hotels, many planes and many big games — that is the most important thing. Now, we'll try to do well on this occasion. Of these 200 games in Europe, there must be about 160 in the Champions League. That is at the highest level and it's been a fantastic experience.
"We've had many highlights because over the years we have won everywhere. "Maybe the only place we didn't win is Barcelona. We have won in Madrid, Milan, Rome, Germany, France. "We have won everywhere. That means Arsenal is remembered well all over Europe as a strong club.
"I'm always learning. You're always learning about Europe. Alex Ferguson has even more experience than I have and you can see that it's difficult in Europe to win every single game."
Wenger has yet to taste the ultimate success in Europe, losing in the finals of both the 2000 UEFA Cup to Galatasaray on penalties and the 2006 Champions League 2-1 against Barcelona in Paris. Asked to name his favourite moment, Wenger said: "To go the whole season unbeaten in the 2006 Champions League, apart from the last 13 minutes.
"The away wins are the most special, yes. But we have, as well, a fantastic home record in the Champions League."
Wenger's first clash in north London was a UEFA Cup match against Borussia Monchengladbach in 1996, with Arsenal losing 3-2. He added: I was not fully in charge for that game, but I took control at half-time. So, yes, that was my first European game."
And looking ahead to his 200th, Wenger said: "What I'll do is make sure we are completely solid defensively. I'll take an experienced defence, similar to what I did against Manchester City."
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