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Arsene Wenger's Arsenal still showing scars from 2006 Champions League final defeat

Arsenal were beaten by Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final

It's 20 years since Arsene Wenger was appointed by Arsenal but European glory still eludes him. Nick Wright examines a history of underachievement on the continent and ponders the psychological effects of losing the 2006 Champions League final to Barcelona.

It was April 2006 and Jens Lehmann's 89th-minute penalty save from Villarreal's Juan Roman Riquelme had just secured Arsenal's passage to the first Champions League final in their history. The injury-hit Gunners had been struggling in the Premier League, but on the European stage their patched-up team had exceeded everybody's expectations.

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Everybody's except, perhaps, Thierry Henry's. The Arsenal captain had scored five times in that extraordinary Champions League campaign, and as he reflected on their run to the final in the aftermath of the Villarreal tie, he cast his mind back to their stunning last-16 victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Villarreal were knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal in 2006
Image: Sol Campbell celebrates after Arsenal beat Villarreal in the 2006 semi-final

"From that moment something happened," he said. "The way we won there, knocking them out, gave us all a great lift. Even though the games against Villarreal were far more difficult, beating Madrid, the name, the place, the reputation, it did something in all our minds."

Arsenal had shown the gritty resolve and defensive nous that seemed to ebb away after the break-up of the Invincibles, and with a little help from Lehmann's right glove, they had knocked out Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal without conceding a single goal. "We are not just a team that can win by playing good football," said Henry. "We can win by playing ugly, too."

For 76 minutes in Paris three weeks later, Henry's comments rang true. The 10-man Gunners frustrated Barcelona and might even have added to Sol Campbell's emphatic opening goal, but the Catalans were persistent. Samuel Eto'o equalised, and then came Juliano Belletti's winner, lashed agonisingly through Manuel Almunia's legs from an acute angle.

Thierry Henry was unable to inspire Arsenal to victory in the Champions League final
Image: Thierry Henry couldn't inspire Arsenal to victory in the Champions League final

Wenger and his players stood dejected in the drizzle as Barcelona raised the trophy. The Frenchman rued the cruel manner of the defeat and bemoaned a missed offside call for the equaliser, but there was a message of defiance, too. "Sometimes if you can transform your frustration at defeat in such a game as this then you can come back stronger," he said. "We will do that."

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Both captain and manager had seen evidence of growing maturity and a stronger mentality, but 10 years later Arsenal are still scarred. In the first half of Wenger's tenure they compensated for their curious lack of success in Europe with regular domestic honours, but silverware has become more elusive since that night in Paris, and their continental struggles have become chronic.

The pattern is grimly familiar, a cycle of complacency and capitulation, of mental fragility and underachievement. It can be traced back to the last-16 in 2007, the year after the defeat by Barcelona, when Arsenal missed a string of chances against PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates Stadium before an 83rd-minute header from Brazilian defender Alex sent the Gunners out.

Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven in 2007
Image: Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven in 2007

The following year brought another late collapse, this time to Liverpool in the last eight. Arsenal were heading through on away goals when Emmanuel Adebayor struck in the 84th minute at Anfield, but they conceded from the penalty spot less than two minutes later before Ryan Babel wrapped up the scoring in stoppage time.

Arsenal reached the last four in 2008/09, but after rather fortuitously escaping Old Trafford with only a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, Wenger's men conceded twice in three minutes at the Emirates Stadium. It was a far cry from the steel they showed in their previous Champions League semi-final appearance against Villarreal. This time, the tie was effectively dead after 11 minutes.

Arsenal's psychological frailty was repeatedly laid bare in Europe, with question marks over leadership and character on the pitch and doubts about direction from the dugout. Wenger's side had developed an unwelcome habit of capitulating at the first sign of adversity, conceding goals in quick succession as European ties slipped rapidly out of reach.

Lionel Messi's Barcelona scored three goals in 26 minutes against Arsenal in 2011
Image: Lionel Messi's Barcelona scored three goals in 26 minutes against Arsenal in 2011

It happened against Barcelona in 2009/10 and 2010/11, and again against AC Milan in 2011/12, when Robinho struck either side of half-time in a dreadful 4-0 thrashing at the San Siro. Arsenal came close to making up the deficit with a 3-0 win in the second leg, but futile comebacks have become another theme of Arsenal's European campaigns. It's only when the pressure is off that they start to play.

The next two years brought consecutive eliminations by Bayern Munich after costly first-leg defeats. In 2012/13 Arsenal conceded twice the first 21 minutes at the Emirates Stadium to effectively put the tie beyond them, and in 2013/14 they never recovered from Mesut Ozil's missed penalty and Wojciech Szczesny's first-half sending off. More mistakes, more disappointment.

Arsene Wenger on the pitch in Paris as Barcelona prepare to collect the trophy
Image: Arsene Wenger on the pitch in Paris as Barcelona prepare to collect the trophy

Arsenal can rue their bad luck having been drawn against Barcelona or Bayern Munich in five of the last six seasons in the Champions League, but they have harmed their own prospects with second-placed group stage finishes, and their capitulation against unfancied Monaco in 2015 showed that their psychological issues run deeper than the quality of the opposition.

Back in 2006, when Wenger hoped Arsenal would come back stronger and Henry was convinced that the side was coming of age, it was difficult to imagine this was how things would go. Wenger heads into this year's tournament hoping for a change of fortunes, but as he continues his quest for European glory there is a lingering feeling he has already missed his best chance.

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