Arsenal vs Basel: Arsene Wenger warns his players against slipping on traditional banana skin side
The Swiss champions have claimed scalps from almost all of the Gunners' top rivals in recent years
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsene Wenger has told his players to ensure Arsenal do not become Basel's latest victim and bring an end to the feel-good-factor at the Emirates.
It hasn't always been a smooth ride for Wenger in recent times, with protests over his future, the club's stagnation and prudent approach in the transfer market.
In the week of his 20th anniversary of taking charge, there seems renewed optimism in the stands with the 3-0 demolition of Chelsea emphasising the shift.
Basel, the the Swiss champions, have been no stranger to derailing English club side's in European competitions. They face Arsenal in the Champions League tonight having already beaten the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in recent years in the competition.
They also knocked Tottenham out of the Europa League on penalties in 2013. Those statistics are enough to have the Arsenal manager, who guided his side to a 1-1 draw at Paris St Germain in their opening game, to sound a note of caution.
"They have beaten everybody in England and have a very good record. They are a team who are used to playing in the Champions League," said Wenger.
"It’s not a newcomer or a beginner in the Champions League, they have huge experience in the competition. They have experience and we face a team who is well organised, not under pressure as they dominate always their league.
"They know they will come back in the Champions League again next season. And they produce players as well.
"This experience goes through the generations and this is why they’re not intimidated. I don’t expect them to be intimidated at all. On the other hand, they have nothing to lose. That’s always dangerous.
"It is down to us to keep them on our side because they (the supporters) can go quickly on the other side as well."
Wenger hopes his side have learned their lessons from previous years, qualifying through the group but only bowing out to facing European powerhouses.
Last season they left themselves with a mountain to climb after losing their opening two games against Bayern Munich and Olympiakos. Arsenal scraped through to the knockout stages but Wenger said: "In life you can only show that you have learned.
"Last year we went to Leicester and won 5-2 and three days later we lost at home to Olympiakos 3-2. So we have to go from different competitions to different competitions and produce the same performance.
"It's a big motivation for us because we know there's have two favourites at the start, PSG and Arsenal, but it's not as clear as that and not as easy as it was maybe said. So we have to show that.
"For us as well I think the team is on the way up. It's important not to have a setback, an unexpected setback, and we keep the quality very high in our performance."
Theo Walcott, so often a frustrating figure at Arsenal, will start as the winger aims to continue his impressive start to the new season. Walcott, a goalscorer against Chelsea, cited a change of mindset as the reason behind his wake-up call.
"I’ve worked hard from the back end of last season and I’ve just continued to do that throughout the whole summer and that’s all I’m doing," he said.
"I generally forget about the game that’s just happened and move on to the next one. Me and the manager sat down and I’ve just looked at myself. There’s no point dwelling on the past, that’s what I’m like.
"I know what I can do and I don’t mind what people say because I do know that as long as I work hard, I know what I’m going to be. It’s just come down to that to be fair.
"The manager’s shown tremendous faith in me and I just want to repay that. It all comes down to performances and I want this team to do well. You can see that in my desire and the way that I’m playing at the moment. I want it more than anyone else, but that’s just me and the way that I work now.
"It’s a shame that it only hit me a few years ago because there’s been a slight change in my attitude ahead of big games."
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