Not content with knocking Arsenal out of the Champions League on away goals, the Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim rubbed salt into the wounds by accusing Arsene Wenger and the Gunners of showing a lack of respect to his team. As reported by Sky Sports, the Portuguese coach was referring to the game at the Emirates where he felt that we took victory fro granted and then Wenger did not shake his hand after the final whistle.
Jardim said, “I wanted to shake Wenger’s hand [after the first leg] but he didn’t wait so, even though Monaco did everything for Arsenal, I decided not to thank him.
“Arsenal didn’t show the respect they should have after the first leg.
“I am sure that all the teams will want to draw Monaco in the quarter-finals.
“The qualification is totally deserved. Arsenal benefited from two errors to score.”
I do believe that a manager should at least shake his rival’s hand after a game but I have to stand up for Wenger a bit here. The Frenchman was fuming at his own players at the final whistle after our inept game and having just gifted Monaco a killer third goal.
As I remember it though, Wenger did not storm off. It was Jardim who ignored Wenger as he wildly celebrated his team’s shock win. Was the Arsenal boss supposed to wait until his gloating was finished?
He also claimed that Wenger did not give Monaco due credit for their performance after that first leg, but our manager did actually acknowledge their performance as the Sky Sports report of that game proves.
That is something that Jardim failed to do after the second leg in Monaco. Two mistakes? Totally deserved? Whatever you say mate but I think you could be gracious enough to admit that you had your own luck in that first leg and were outplayed in the second.
Well done to Monaco for getting through but to suggest it all went according to his master plan is a bit much from Jardim. It seems to me that the lack of respect was coming from the Monaco boss, not towards him, or am I wrong?