Arsene Wenger Slams Suicidal Arsenal

Arsene Wenger slammed his Arsenal flops as naive and suicidal after their defensive meltdown allowed Monaco to clinch a stunning 3-1 win in the Champions League last 16 first leg.
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Wenger’s side were widely expected to see off the French club and advance to the quarterfinals of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2010.
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But instead they are on the verge of a fifth consecutive last 16 exit following an incredible meltdown at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
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Geoffrey Kondogbia’s first half strike was followed by a cool finish from former Tottenham forward Dimitar Berbatov and, although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got one back for Arsenal in the 90th minute, there was time for Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco to score Monaco’s third and leave the Gunners needing a herculean effort in the second leg on March 17.
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In the heat of an immediate post-match press conference, Wenger is usually composed enough to deflect questions that ask him to criticise his players.
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But after one of the most chastening defeats of his 19-year Arsenal reign – at the hands of the club where he made his managerial reputation – the 65-year-old was unable to conceal his frustration.
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Taking aim at the careless play of Arsenal’s defenders and the needlessly gung-ho attitude of the rest of the team, he said: “It was a horrible night. We missed chances and were a bit suicidal defensively.
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“Their first goal was unlucky with the deflection but the second and third were suicidal. We cannot give away the third goal like we did.
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“The balance wasn’t right and when we lost the ball we were exposed. I was most disappointed by our defensive naivety.
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“It looks like we lost our nerves and our rationality. The heart took over the head and at this level that doesn’t work.
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“Mentally we weren’t sharp enough to get into this game and we paid for it.”
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After getting their domestic form back on track in recent weeks, this was a return to the kind of mentally fragile and defensively sloppy display that has so often ruined Arsenal’s hopes in Europe in the Wenger era.
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And Wenger suggested his players may have taken victory for granted.
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“I hope we weren’t complacent, but it looks when you have no sharpness that anything is possible,” he said.
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“We rushed our game. The difference was the mentality, we were too impatient because this is a game of 180 minutes.”