Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal need a miracle to qualify against Bayern Munich and calls Laurent Koscielny’s injury ‘not an excuse, but an explanation’
Gunners boss Wenger looked distraught after 5-1 defeat but said: 'How I feel is not the most important thing.'
ARSENE WENGER conceded Arsenal suffered a "nightmare" after Bayern Munich hammered them 5-1 in their Champions League round-of-16 first leg clash at the Allianz Arena.
The Gunners looked like addressing their recent poor form at this stage of the competition, where they have been eliminated in the past six years, after a spirited reaction to falling behind to Arjen Robben's early strike.
Alexis Sanchez saw a penalty saved before tucking home the rebound as the sides went in level at the break.
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But the second-half capitulation saw Bayern steamroller their visitors as a Robert Lewandowski header, a Thiago brace and a late Thomas Muller strike put Carlo Ancelotti's side firmly in the driving seat to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The result only increases the question-marks over Wenger's future, with his contract expiring in the summer and a growing number of fans calling for change.
Arsenal shipped three goals in 10 minutes and all within 15 minutes of losing captain Laurent Koscielny to injury, and a downbeat Wenger admitted after the game his side had become "vulnerable" as the night progressed.
He commented: "It's difficult to explain. I felt that just before half time we had to good chances to score the 2-1.
"The most important thing in the second half was we lost Koscielny.
"Suddenly it looked that we collapsed. It's difficult. Mentally we collapsed and overall I must say they were a better team than us.
"They played very well in the second half and we dropped our level and overall we were a bit unlucky."
When asked if Koscielny's injury was an excuse for his team's embarrassing performance, Wenger said: "I do not look for excuses, but it is an explanation because we looked quite solid defensively.
"It's very difficult after the game. It's a shock of course to lose at that level.
"But on top of that we made everything wrong and the fifth goal shows that.
"I felt the third goal was the killer for our players."
The Frenchman was asked on BT Sport whether the defeat was the lowest point of his career and said: "How I feel is not the most important [thing] after this game, but of course I am disappointed."
Wenger ended on a brutally honest note when asked if it would take a miracle for Arsenal to get back into the tie, saying: "Of course."
And Martin Keown suggested his former boss should consider his future to avoid further embarrassment.
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He said: "I feel for Arsene Wenger now. Outclassed, outplayed. They [Bayern] did it at a canter.
"What is he now, 20 years? Arsene Wenger must really be considering his future because that was embarrassing."
Keown labelled Wenger his "footballing father", but added that he expects the Frenchman to know if it's the right time to resign.
The former centre-back said: "He's an intelligent man and this is obviously his lowest point, ever, at Arsenal."