Wenger: Arsenal have lost their souls since leaving Highbury

DBasia.news – Arsene Wenger has many happy memories with Arsenal. Especially when they were still at the historic stadium, Highbury. It was at the Highbury stadium that Arsenal harvested the title. The proudest was the unbeaten status in a season of competition when they won the 2002 Premier League.

Home of Football. That’s what Arsenal gave the name to Higbury that became their headquarters from 1913 to 2006. Higbury witnessed Arsenal’s historic moments from painful, dark, sad, until memorable moments.

Together with Highbury Arsenal is known for its culture of playing offensively and entertaining the audience, giving birth to young talents who later became known as European stars. There Wenger also changed Arsenal from a secondary team to winning three Premier League titles.

Since moving from the Highbury stadium which has a capacity of 40,000 spectators to the Emirates, Arsenal’s lives are no longer the same. With a different atmosphere, the ‘soul’ of Arsenal is still left behind at Highbury.

Arsenal struggled to win the Premier League title which was last won in 2004. Not only to win the title, to be consistent in the top four was difficult to do. Wenger acknowledged that and recalled how the atmosphere was different in Highbury and Emirates.

“Throughout my career, when you arrive to drive to Highbury, it’s always been a special moment,” Wenger told BeIN Sports.

“Highbury is associated with love, love for the period that I had there, love for the extraordinary attitude of the fans, the special football match that I witnessed there, it was a special place in my heart. There were 40 people there, now there are more from 400, you know them all. “

“We have moved from a family business to a large company, and, of course, Highbury is associated with a family business. Sthe supporters are very close, in every corner you can shake hands with supporters, and that gives a unique, warm feeling of togetherness.”

“You are always in a position with a football club when you ask whether you will go forward or stay in the past, we have to go through a period when we move stadiums,” Wenger added.

The move to Emirates benefited Arsenal but on one hand the club lost a factor that made them respected in the past.

“The rules are changed, we want to make the stadium feel the same as Highbury but we left our souls because we can never imitate that,” continued Wenger.

“The distance from the field to the stands must be bigger for an ambulance to come in, all that sort of thing, so we did not find the exact same atmosphere,” he concluded.