Wenger still has much, if not all, in Vladimir Petkovic’s squad – even if they had to dispense with Wenger’s former apprentice Granit Xhaka in the quarter-final against Spain.
Wenger, who coached Arsenal for 22 years until 2018 and is now a non-British Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), had seen first-hand how they faced Switzerland in the European Championship before. The match had beat the world champion. “The Swiss players were very criticized in Switzerland for their mentality and behaviour,” Wenger said, referring to the 3-0 defeat to Italy. “You were questioned. But they gave the answer that you have to give when you are a team. In that place.”
On the Swiss performance in the match against France, Wenger said in a discussion on French television: “The Swiss showed calm, technical ability and a lot of skill throughout the match. Looking at it as a whole, the victory was not at all undeserved.”
Arsene Wenger regrets the suspension of Granit Xhaka due to the suspension of the match against Spain. About Xhaka’s performance in the match against the French, the 71-year-old said: “He was brilliant from start to finish. All his decisions were good. When it comes to penalties, I swear by the players. His visuals are so beautiful that he deserves to be the man of the game.”