Bergkamp to fire up Arsenal

ARSENE WENGER believes Dennis Bergkamp can ignite Arsenal’s Champions League campaign as he calls for a clean break with their debilitating away fortunes of recent seasons.

Wenger is determined to ensure Arsenal do not suffer from the same away woes which undermined their European hopes last season, with five defeats and one draw in six games on their travels.

He has already broken with one tradition in decreeing the Gunners will not train in their opponents’ stadium on the eve of their game, thereby avoiding ‘spies’ trying to discover their plans.

However, even more crucial is Bergkamp’s availability for the three away games in the opening group stage. The striker does not fly, but the road trips to Eindhoven, Auxerre and Dortmund are all realistic journeys, so he has been lined up for his first European start away from Highbury since the 2000 UEFA Cup final.

Wenger is understandably keen to insist Arsenal are not a one-man creative team but in the continued absence of Robert Pires, their influential Dutchman is pivotal to their hopes.

‘‘At the moment, he’s on fire,’’ declared Wenger, who will not keep Bergkamp on the bench as he did away to Bayer Leverkusen last season.

‘‘With him, we have one more asset in there as he can dominate a game and can give you the final ball, especially when Robert Pires is not there.

‘‘Dennis has the attitude you want in a player. He has been through difficult times but I truly believe he loves the club.

‘‘Even though his position was under threat in the past, he kept on fighting and wanted to stay. He has a lot of respect from everyone for that.

‘‘Age affects everybody but much more so when you rely on physical strength. When you rely on technical ability and vision, it affects you much later. You also see that with Gianfranco Zola. You have to be humble and realistic enough to realise it does not last forever but Dennis is still a top-class player.’’

Bergkamp was at his influential best last week against Borussia Dortmund, scoring Arsenal’s first goal in the 2-0 win which gave them the ideal Champions League launchpad.

The decision to play him in his native Holland comes at a price, however. Not only was Bergkamp a substitute against Bolton last weekend, but he could be a doubtful starter at Elland Road this Saturday for a midday kick-off.

‘‘It’s not an easy decision to make as it’s a long trip for him, but he has the desire to play. This is a special occasion playing in Holland and he was not available always in the past,’’ said Wenger.

What’s more, Arsenal must overcome the psychological hurdle involved in winning away from home in Europe.

‘‘I don’t think our away form is linked with just one player as we won the title away at Manchester United and we also won at Liverpool and we had players missing then.

‘‘I believe it was more down to the quality of the opposition and psychological problems. Maybe we didn’t play with the same confidence and belief that we had at home.

‘‘So we want to start strongly this time around as well as finishing strongly,” said Wenger.

This game is therefore all about wiping the slate clean from last year as Arsenal look to build on their win against Dortmund.

Preparations have been different from last season in that, rather than a session at Eindhoven’s stadium last night, the team trained at their London Colney base in Hertfordshire before flying out later in the day.

‘‘There is a little bit of making a clean break in that, but it’s mostly down to logical reasons,’’ said Wenger.

‘‘They say you have a private session when you go to another ground but I am convinced that doesn’t exist. There is always someone hiding behind a box or something.”