Wenger - European Semi-Finals will be so painful for me



This week's Champions League Semi-Finals will make uncomfortable viewing for Arsène Wenger.

The Arsenal manager will take in Liverpool v Chelsea this evening and Barcelona v Manchester United on Wednesday but he'll be racked with regret.

Wenger's side were edged out in the Quarter-Final second leg at Anfield a fortnight ago in controversial and dramatic circumstances. That was followed a few days later by defeat at Manchester United and the end of their title ambitions.

"Yes, I'll watch the matches," said the Arsenal manager. "It will be extremely painful because it's our biggest disappointment since I have been here. We should be through despite all that happened. And we have never moved out of a Champions League stage having produced two outstanding games like we did.

"If you are played off the park and the team is better than you, then you accept it but when you produce the two performances we produced and lose the games, it is much more difficult to take. I feel we had the potential to win the Champions League and the title this year."

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Certainly it was a disappointing end to Arsenal's ambitions but was it really worse than losing the 2006 Champions League Final in last 14 minutes?

"Yes," protested Wenger, "because against Barca we played with 10 men for 70 minutes. It was the first time we were in the Final and it can happen that you lose a Final like that. But to go out to Liverpool in the two games we played was very, very disappointing."

Speaking before the weekend, Wenger was predicting another tight game between tonight's two teams.

"It is very difficult to say because Liverpool are a counter-attacking and set-pieces team and Chelsea too will have a cautious approach.

"But," he added, "I am sure a British team will win the Champions League this year."