Arsene Wenger shows Mikel Arteta what Arsenal cannot do against Monaco – it was costly last time

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Arsenal return to action in the Champions League on Wednesday night, welcoming AS Monaco to the Emirates.

After two Champions League games on the road, Mikel Arteta’s side return to the Emirates on match day six of the competition.

AS Monaco are the opponent on a night that is crucial for the Gunners to take a significant step forward in the Champions League table.

Arsenal have a defensive injury crisis to tend to ahead of kick-off, making for a nervy night in N5 without some key names involved.

• READ MORE: Arsenal vs Monaco: TV channel, Live stream details, injury updates and team news

Arsenal suffered a nightmare vs AS Monaco in 2015

Monaco, Arsenal and the Emirates; two clubs and a stadium that trigger unwanted memories for Gooners far and wide. 

In 2015, Arsene Wenger watched his side fall out of the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage against the French club – losing the first leg at home. 

For the wrong reasons, the night was dominated by Olivier Giroud as the striker failed to score from countless chances presented to him over 90 minutes. 

Chance creation wasn’t the issue for Arsenal but scoring was, as the hosts failed to score more than once in the first leg, carrying a 3-1 defeat to Monaco ahead of the second. 

Monaco scored three from seven of their shots on target on the night whereas Arsenal scored once despite firing 14 shots on goal, of which just four were on target. 

Wenger’s failures in 2015 would have alerted Arteta ahead of Wednesday night’s clash, with it already clear to the Spaniard where his side must improve.

Mikel Arteta must solve Arsenal’s open-play problem 

Arteta could make several changes to face Monaco however, squad issues aren’t the only problem the manager has to consider.

Arsenal aren’t creating enough chances from open play, which has seen the Gunners drop points several times already this season in both the Premier League and in Europe. 

While scoring goals was not a problem during Arsenal’s thrashing of Sporting CP, it was a different story against Inter Milan in the fixture prior. 

Arsenal matched a 2006 Champions League record against Inter, failing to score from an eye-watering 20 shots on goal, something that we know cannot happen against Monaco.

Wenger sent Arteta a stern message nine years ago on that memorable night in N5 and now, the Spaniard must respond accordingly.