Arsene Wenger has just about done and seen it all during his 13 seasons at Arsenal.

He may well have even bought the “In Arsene We Trust” T-shirt. However, one thing still does not sit right.

A lot of humble pie has been eaten since the famous headline “Arsene Who?” greeted the appointment of the then-unheralded French coach at Highbury during the autumn of 1996.

Now, of course, Wenger - who tomorrow becomes the longest serving manager in Arsenal history - is lauded as one of the best football brains on the planet.

‘The Professor’, who holds a Masters’ Degree in Economics from Strasbourg University, has secured three Premier League titles - including the famous Invincibles campaign of 2003/2004 - along with the FA Cup four times and an appearance in the Champions League final three years ago.

However, it was the failure of his young side to rise to the challenge against Manchester United in last season’s European Cup semi-final which continues to rest uneasy on Wenger’s conscience.

Completely outplayed at Old Trafford, yet somehow still in the tie being only 1-0 down, Arsenal opened up all guns blazing in the second leg, only for an untimely slip by rookie full-back Kieran Gibbs to prove so costly as United grabbed a crucial early away goal and went on to Rome.

Wenger recalled: “Losing the semi-final of the Champions League to Manchester United last year was the lowest point, because we did not play at our level.

“We have got a young team, which has an average age of 22 or 23, and one which is maturing - even if it can make mistakes like in semi-final of the Champions League.

“What is very disappointing for us, however, is in the games that mattered in the last three or four weeks we could not win.

“That is where we have to analyse.”

Wenger, whose side also lost out in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, to Chelsea at Wembley, added: “At the end of the day, we tried very hard to get the best out of the team.

“If it is not good enough, it is not good enough, we can accept that - but trust me, there was no fault of commitment on our side.

“We will naturally progress if we keep going.”

While many other men who were about to turn 60 next month may well be contemplating a well-earned retirement, Wenger has no intentions of hanging up his manager’s overcoat just yet.

“I have never had a day when I think I could live without football,” said the former Monaco coach.

“I know one day it will happen, but you should not live every day knowing you are going to die - you live knowing that you want to live.

“You will know if you are not hungry enough any more, but other people will tell you if you are not good enough any more.”

Wenger’s legacy at the Emirates Stadium is already secure, with a bronze bust of the Frenchman now in pride of place alongside fellow Arsenal legend Herbert Chapman at the impressive 60,000-seater stadium, into which he had so much influence.

Indeed a fitting venue for his unique brand of passing football, which has written its own chapter in footballing folklore.

“The highest point was to play a whole season unbeaten. No matter how much money anybody else has invested, nobody else has done that,” Wenger reflected.

It is, though, the continued progress and development of his players - moulding world-class stars rather than simply just buying them - which perhaps serves as the most fitting tribute.

Thierry Henry was turned from an out-of-sorts winger at Juventus into arguably the greatest player of his generation while at Highbury, and it was also Wenger who plucked Emmanuel Adebayor from relative obscurity at Monaco to help turn the Togo international into one of the most-sought after strikers in Europe.

Current captain Cesc Fabregas is a case in point.

The midfielder arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from the Barcelona youth set up and is now their most prized asset - one which the Catalan giants would love to have back.

A strong sense of loyalty, though, continues to keep the likes of Fabregas and Robin van Persie, last season’s scorer who arrived as a raw talent from Feyenoord in May 2004, committed to Wenger’s cause.

“He has been the most important influence in my short career,” Fabregas declared.

“He took me here, made me train with the first-team when I was 16 years old - I was training alongside Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira so I was lucky to learn from the big players.

“For me it was a very big step forward.

“The manager took the risk to put me in the team.

“I have to thank him for that and now I have to pay him back for what he has done for me.”

Getting his hands on a long-overdue trophy in 2010 would certainly be a start.

Robin van Persie cannot wait for the new campaign to start - and has vowed to help Arsenal end their trophy drought.

The Dutchman, 25, has ended speculation on his future by signing a new, long-term deal which is reported to be worth some £80,000-a-week.

Van Persie - the Gunners’ leading scorer last season with 20 goals from 44 appearances - was so determined to complete the paperwork ahead of the new season that he did so while on holiday in Cannes.

The Holland forward is set to join up with the rest of the Arsenal squad, some of whom have already returned to pre-season training, next week.

“We have been talking for almost a whole year, and we managed to close the deal in between the two last international games, when we had agreed on all the important things,” the Dutchman revealed in an interview with Arsenal TV Online.

“I start again on July 13, and it is good to close the deal and start with a good feeling. I cannot wait for the new season.”

Van Persie added: “One of the main reasons I signed was to lift a big trophy. I do not want to do it with a different team. I want to lift it with Arsenal.

“That is now my main target and it would make me so proud to do it.

“I know it is going to be hard, because we have lots of competition, with teams like Manchester City and Aston Villa getting stronger.

“But I still see big chances for Arsenal, and it is my dream to lift trophies with this team.”

Van Persie - signed from home-town club Feyenoord during May 2004 - had been linked with a big-money move away from the Emirates Stadium, with English champions Manchester United a reported destination.

However, for the Dutchman, there is only one team close to his heart.

“I believe in Arsenal as a club, in the fans, in the teams. I just love Arsenal, which is the main reason why I signed,” he said.

“Sometimes you hear rumours, but my heart is with Arsenal.

“I just can’t picture myself in a different shirt. I just can’t see it now because I love this club so much.

“If you look at the last five years, look at the steps I have made every season, if you look at the support the boss and the whole club gave me, the fans gave me, my team mates gave me - this is the right decision.”

Much like captain Cesc Fabregas, Van Persie has often talked of the need for Arsenal to now turn their potential into silverware.

When the Dutchman arrived five years ago, the Gunners were the team to beat and after making his debut in the FA Community Shield win over Manchester United, Van Persie was part of the victorious 2005 FA Cup side - the last trophy secured under manager Arsene Wenger.

Despite their recent barren return, Van Persie is convinced Arsenal - who reached the 2006 Champions League final - are a club heading in the right direction.

“We have a top-class manager, a squad full of superb young players, a world-class stadium and brilliant supporters,” he said.

“Arsenal has a very bright future and I want to be part of it.”

England winger Theo Walcott also agreed a new deal during May, while the futures of youngsters Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Kieran Gibbs have all been tied up this summer.

So far, Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen remains the only addition in what is understood to be a £10million deal from Ajax.

It remains to be seen whether Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor - a target for AC Milan will stay at Arsenal - and the Gunners may have missed out on Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo, as reports in Italy claim the Brazilian is now close to agreeing a move to Juventus.

Ashley Cole collected a record-breaking fifth FA Cup winning medal and insisted the season has been his best ever.

Cole, named man of the match in the victory over Everton yesterday, struggled to find his best form when he arrived at Stamford Bridge from London rivals Arsenal in 2006.

A niggling ankle injury affected his form and the ability to make the kind of attacking runs on which he built his reputation at Arsenal.

Cole played through the World Cup in 2006 with the injury but he is delighted to be back to full fitness once again.

Surgery cured the ankle problem and a pain-free Cole has been in devastating form all season as a result.

He produced a stunning performance on the left flank against Everton, linking up superbly with Florent Malouda, to cause the Toffees all kinds of problems.

“I can run again because I have no pain in my ankle,” said Cole “I had an operation and they took a piece of my bone away that was floating in my ankle.

“I did it at Arsenal but I didn’t want to come to Chelsea and have the operation straight away. It did affect me and I shouldn’t have done it. There were times when I didn’t enjoy it.

“But I knew that once my ankle was better, I would be able to run. The manager (Jose Mourinho) wanted me to attack, but I couldn’t do it. I played in the World Cup with it and I just wanted the injury finished. Now I feel really fit.

“This season though has been the best I’ve had in the Premier League. Now I am playing with a smile on my face and as a player I think I’ve improved.”

Mikael Silvestre feels he has rediscovered his youth since his surprise move from Manchester United to Arsenal.

The former France defender quit United after nine successful years at Old Trafford to join the Gunners for an undisclosed fee last August.

Although both clubs adopt a similar attacking philosophy on the pitch, Silvestre claims the pair are worlds apart in other respects.

And the 31-year-old admits hanging around with Arsene Wenger’s youngsters is starting to rub off on him.

“In playing terms, they are replicas of each other as they put the onus on going forward but after that, they have two different principles,” said Silvestre, who could start against his former employers in tomorrow’s Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford.

“At United, the squad is built in little stages but always around their pillars, (Paul) Scholes, (Ryan) Giggs and (Gary) Neville. They are the club’s identity, their points of reference on the pitch and in the changing room.

“At Arsenal, it functions more by generations. There has been that of (Patrick) Vieira, (Robert) Pires, (Thierry) Henry. Now it is that of (Cesc) Fabregas, (Theo) Walcott, (Alex) Song, (Aaron) Ramsey.

“We give responsibility to these youngsters very early and we let them grow together. At Arsenal, youth isn’t just an excuse.

“In the changing room, it is simple - to my left is (Jack) Wilshere, who is 16, and to my right is Ramsey, who is 18. We talk about things like the latest video games. It’s good - I feel young again.”

Silvestre is likely to recover from a minor back complaint picked up during Sunday’s 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Barclays League to start tomorrow, although he is in competition with Johan Djourou for a spot alongside Kolo Toure at centre-back.

He admits his return to Old Trafford will be emotional.

“It is going to be weird going into the visitors’ changing room, to see the supporters and all the people who work at the club again,” Silvestre told L’Equipe.

“It is going to be moving. Nine years at one club, it’s a long time, it is a part of my life. And it isn’t any old club, it is a legendary club.

“I could have stayed for my 10th year and had my testimonial. It surprised everyone (that he moved) but I wanted a new challenge.”

Silvestre remains the only player in history to move directly from United to Arsenal.

“Ferguson did me a favour, he had never done it before,” added the Frenchman.

Blackburn and Arsenal secured comfortable home victories against Wigan and Middlesborough respectively.

Ryan Nelsen scored his first Premier League goal as Blackburn took a huge stride towards safety with a 2-0 victory over Wigan at Ewood Park on Sunday.

After four years and 111 league games, Nelsen finally got on the scoresheet when he rose in the box on the hour to flick Benni McCarthy’s right-wing free-kick past Chris Kirkland in the Latics goal.

Nelsen’s strike put the seal on a magnificent afternoon for Sam Allardyce’s men who had grabbed the lead through McCarthy on the stroke of half-time and as a result of their win move above Hull and Sunderland into 15th place, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Hugo Rodallega had hit the woodwork for Wigan in the third minute and the home side also had Paul Robinson to thank for retaining their advantage in the second half.

In the day’s early game Cesc Fabregas scored in both halves as Arsenal eased to a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium to leave the Teessiders deep in the relegation mire.

The Gunners captain has had a turbulent season after missing large periods through injury and then being hit with a misconduct charge earlier this week for allegedly spitting following the FA Cup tie with Hull.

But he at least proved he is back to his best on Sunday when he scored after 26 and 67 minutes to strengthen Arsenal’s grip on fourth place in the Premier League.

The first came when Andrey Arshavin raced into the area from the left before laying the ball back across into the path of the on-rushing Fabregas, who drilled his shot past Brad Jones, low in the far corner.

And on 67 minutes the Spaniard doubled Arsenal’s lead when he latched onto Kolo Toure’s fine throughball and rounded Jones before slotting home from the edge of the area in one swift movement.

Arsenal’s Robin van Persie and Gael Clichy will miss Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg clash at Manchester United.

The Dutchman, who has hit 17 goals this season, continues to be troubled by a groin problem which saw him miss the midweek 4-4 draw at Liverpool and will not feature in Sunday’s Barclays Premier League game with Middlesbrough at Emirates Stadium nor the first leg of the European tie against the holders.

Manager Arsene Wenger, though, hopes van Persie will be fit by the time United come to London on May 5.

There was more positive news on Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who could face Boro following a minor hamstring concern, while Almunia (ankle) and Djourou (knee) could both be back to bolster what Wenger accepts has been a “fatigued” defence.

“We will rotate a little bit again, but we have no major injuries from Liverpool,” said Wenger.

“Manuel Almunia was in full training on Thursday and we will see how he responds. Djourou was in full training also so we will see how he is too. Both could come back into the squad.

“It is not enough training to say [for sure] yet, we need 48 hours more.

“Emmanuel Adebayor should come back into training on Saturday. He could be in the squad.

“But Robin van Persie is definitely out for Sunday and for Manchester United.

“Gael Clichy could be back for the second Manchester United game. “He has a scan [on his back] on Monday. We will go from there. He has a chance to be back in full training next week.”

With van Persie and Adebayor both struggling for full match fitness, Nicklas Bendtner was asked to spearhead the attack at Anfield.

While Bendtner - who has hit 12 goals - was not on the scoresheet during an amazing game, he worked hard and saw one fine finish ruled out by a somewhat dubious offside flag.

Bendtner admits there have been spells this season where he “could not put a foot right”, but the youngster has never questioned his determination to succeed.

“People have not seen everything yet - there is a lot more to come and when people realise that, things will become even better,” Bendtner said.

“I feel more part of the starting 11 this season than last and I feel I have improved all over my game.

“We had a down period - me personally as well - but it makes people stronger, more determined and focussed.

“That is exactly what it has done with me and I have been playing better since then.”

Arsenal will be looking to extend an unbeaten Premier League run to 20 games against relegation battlers Boro.

Going forwards the Gunners would seem to have little to worry about, with Russian Andrey Arshavin - cup-tied in Europe - having smashed all four goals at Anfield.

“With the quality and mixture of players in our squad we can be really dangerous, and I think other teams acknowledge this,” Bendtner said.

“We know ourselves that with the blend of players with have, we can do some real damage.”

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