Arsenal beat Spanish giants Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final, but Wesley Sneijder was unimpressed with the performance of one of the Emirates’ gunners.
Wesley Sneijder had a lot to say about Mikel Arteta vs Atletico Madrid (Image: Getty Images)
Wesley Sneijder ripped Arsenal star Ben White despite the defender helping the Gunners reach the Champions League final. The North London side defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate to reach their first final since 2006.
White, 28, started both games in the semi-finals and played the full 90 minutes at the Emirates Stadium. Despite this, Sneijder remained critical of the Englishman, claiming that compatriot Julian Timber should have been chosen instead.
“When you have Timber in your team, you think, ‘That’s a good full-back, he’ll help me,'” the former midfielder told Ziggo Sport.
“Then he’s out for a long time and then he has to adapt to the whites… Timber wouldn’t even let him lace up his shoes. Arteta can’t play two teams, but other teams can. So I don’t think it’s justified.”
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“For years England have had Liverpool and City and they have to play against them. They have better players. And there are a lot of even better players in Europe. He (Arteta) is just doing a great job with the team.”
Sneijder was also highly critical of Arsenal’s half-time win over Atletico, insisting that UEFA needed to finish the game as both sides struggled to make it an entertaining game.
He added: “After 35 minutes, I said UEFA needed to intervene. They needed to call London and say, ‘Just get off the pitch, both of you, the final is going to be played tomorrow.’ We knew this was going to happen. Atlético were going backwards with a block and Arsenal had a lot of possession.”
Ben White played the full 90 minutes against Atletico Madrid (Image: Getty Images)
However, Sneijder praised Arsenal manager Arteta despite the criticism. The Spaniard not only masterminded the Champions League final, but also a Premier League title challenge. “Folks, I can’t say this too often, but he already deserves a statue,” Snyder said.
“It’s very emotional to make it to the finals with this team. I think it’s great that we were able to beat other world-class teams and make it to the finals.”
Arsenal will decide which team they will face in the Champions League final on Wednesday night. Bayern Munich hosted Paris Saint-Germain at the Allianz Arena, with the French side winning 5-4 in the first leg at the Parc des Princes. Meanwhile, Arsenal have a game to consider this weekend against relegation-threatened West Ham.
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