Arsene Wenger: What He Should Tell Arsenal After Their Loss to Barcelona

If I was Arsene Wenger, here's what I'd tell my team after losing to Barcelona on Tuesday:

Gentlemen, thank you. Thank you for your efforts. I know we didn't come into this match with all of our weapons, but I'm proud of you. You battled all night. Barcelona played great—simply brilliant football. But we showed enough resolve to lead on aggregate through 145 minutes, and were one great strike or one less silly red card away from going through. 

Cesc: Thanks for working hard to get back into the lineup. I know how much this game meant to you. Maybe a back heel wasn't the best decision that deep in our end. But thanks for trying to play the ball out to get on the attack. We lost the ball many times tonight, and that time would have been forgotten if not for keen anticipation, a wondrous pass, and a piece of shear genius from the world's best player.

Samir: Great work winning the corner that led to our goal and then whipping it in there dangerously to force them into a mistake. You battled hard.

Robin: We left you stranded tonight. Thanks for sticking up for your teammates when they got chopped down. And mostly, thank you for shooting one second after the whistle. 

I would be yelling at you if you had not shot that ball. If there's the slightest bit of doubt, and you think you have the chance to score, always finish the play.

I do have one piece of advice. If you get sent off for delaying the game, then take a little more time getting off the field. Actually DO delay the game. 

Consider leaving with the match ball. Doing a lap around the pitch. Exposing your rear to the referee. Stealing his whistle on your way off. Maybe snatch his red card, too, and show it to him. If the referee is going to make a mockery of a game of that caliber, then find some way to make a mockery of him. 

Jack: You played tremendously. You were a great force in the midfield. Your challenges were key, and the way you got the ball and ran at them was inspirational. Someday you will lead a squad past Barcelona, just not as a teenager.

Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny: Thank you for all those last-second tackles in the box. Thanks for cutting out those through balls from time to time, and making them attack from the outside. If you play like that the rest of the way in England we will win the League. 

Diaby: You were as effective as anybody on our team at keeping the ball. Your coolness in the midfield was a welcome addition. 

And Almunia: You kept us in this game far longer than we should have been—all the way until the end. If we could have sneaked in a goal in the end, you would have been the man of the match.

All of you, thanks for playing this hard. We lost to the best team on the planet, in their stadium, but in the end, the difference was only a goal. You forgot about all the recent setbacks we've had and came ready to compete, hungry to defend. 

You forgot about the fact that we only were drawn against Barcelona because of another horrible yellow card, one to Carlos Vela for "diving" when he should have been awarded a penalty against Braga.  

Instead of being fatalistic, you embraced the opportunity and came in believing we would win. A lot of people call us soft. They say we lack the mentality of champions.  But we know they're wrong.  We will go on to great success if we keep working together, and keep believing in the football we play.

I have believed all season we can win the Premier League, but after the way you played tonight, I am more confident than ever. We are not the best team in the world yet, but we are still on our way there.

Rest up, and let's finish this season properly.