Barcelona vs. Arsenal: Arsene Wenger's Key Comments from Post-Match Reaction

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended his club's recent underwhelming European record in the wake of their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona.

The Gunners lost 3-1 at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, crashing out 5-1 on aggregate. It marks the sixth straight year Arsenal have bowed out in the round of 16, but Wenger believes fans should look at every individual clash instead of fixating on the trend, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror:

"

I give you the stats (six in a row). We have to consider game by game. You look at the positives and negatives and prepare for the next one.

We have gone out against top sides, who went on and won the Champions League after. On one occasion we were completely guilty, against Monaco. The others were against Bayern and Barcelona twice.

"

Barcelona, last year's Champions League winners and the favourites for a repeat triumph, have been on a phenomenal unbeaten streak of late. A single goal from Mohamed Elneny wasn't enough for Arsenal on Wednesday, as the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez all found the back of the net as well.

While Arsenal showed plenty of attacking intentions, they never seemed likely to secure an upset win.

Not everyone was willing to use Barcelona's fantastic form as an excuse, however. Former footballer and current ITV pundit Roy Keane trashed the Gunners for their “weak” mentality, per MailOnline's Rohan Banerjee, and Le'Equipe published this damning graphic (h/t Sport Witness):

Arsenal's six straight round-of-16 defeats have come at the hands of Barcelona (twice), Bayern Munich (twice), AC Milan and AS Monaco. It's hard to ignore the fact three of those clubs are European heavyweights with multiple Champions League titles on their resume.

The Gunners have never done particularly well in Europe, and unlike the aforementioned clubs, they've never won the Champions League. Perhaps the expectations are a little too big going into Europe's top club competition every year.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Understandably, Wenger was full of praise for Barcelona's attacking trident, which again showed its brilliance. The Catalans were far from their best, but Messi, Neymar and Suarez put their foot on the gas at key moments and produced three goals.

Wenger pointed to the three as a big factor in the loss:

"

I am disappointed with the result but we played a team with the best three strikers I’ve seen.

From nothing they can create a chance. You must admire art. They have two or three players with the ability to transform normal life into art. Of course for me it is suffering as well but it is exceptional what Messi does.

"

The Frenchman was also also asked about an incident involving Mathieu Flamini, who was substituted just before half-time and looked visibly upset as he left the pitch. Per Cross, he watched the second half from the press-conference room:

Wenger had no interest going into detail on the matter: “I didn’t know where he was. I’m not sure he was allowed on the bench. He was injured. He had treatment after half-time. I wouldn’t say that on a night of great football that was the most important thing about the game.”

Per the club's official Twitter account, he rued the chances his team missed, but he also realised Barcelona came out with a solid plan:

Arsenal will now turn their attention to the Premier League, where they face a tough battle with Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur for the title.

The Gunners have lost ground in the race in the past few weeks, but their Champions League departure will allow them to focus exclusively on the domestic competition.

Wednesday's Champions League exit will hurt, but if the Gunners can make a run at the Premier League title, the European disappointment will soon be forgotten.

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