Senderos on our 2005/06 Champions League run

Philippe Senderos played seven times in the run to the 2006 Champions League, with our goal remaining unbreached throughout that time. 

No small feat when you consider he came up against the likes of Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Wesley Sneijder, Raul, Zinedine Zidane, Pavel Nedved and Juan Riquelme. Also, he was just 20 years old at the time, having made his Gunners debut the previous season. 

The central defender went on to make more than 100 appearances for our first team before leaving for Fulham in 2010, and later playing for the likes of Aston Villa, Everton and Rangers. He retired in 2020, and now works with Arsène Wenger as part of FIFA’s High Performance team. We caught up with Philippe to reflect upon that memorable season.

You made your Champions League debut the season before, in a 1-0 home win over Bayern Munich. What are your memories of that game?
That’s a great memory for me, and a fantastic experience, but we didn’t qualify after that game, so there was disappointment too. But I felt very good on the pitch, and to start my first Champions League game, while still a teenager, against such a big team and at Highbury was very special. 

You played more than 20 times in 2004/05, so did you feel comfortable as part of the team by the start of 2005/06?
Yes, I felt like part of the team, but you’re never really ready for what’s coming at that stage. I grew into it though, and grew more and more confident as the season went on, and these Champions League games were really the highlight of that season for me, definitely.

We faced Ajax, Sparta Prague and FC Thun in the group stage, what do you remember of those games?
I remember coming back to Switzerland to play Thun, which was a nice moment for me, and we won that game 1-0. During that group stage I remember our belief growing with each game. In the group you are still building up, but once you get to the knockout stages, that’s when you really start to believe, and that’s how it was for us.

You were already a regular for Switzerland, how did international football help you adapt to playing in Europe too?
It’s difficult to say, because at that age you don’t think too much about that, you just want to go for it and you feel in that zone. I remember feeling really good during that year and obviously playing international football quite a lot already gave me a lot of confidence that I could express myself. But also I was surrounded by big champions and leaders, and that helped me settle into those big games that season.

After getting through the group stage, we faced Real Madrid. You played the full 90 minutes in both legs against Beckham, Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Robinho, Raul and Ronaldo. What was that like?
My dad is Spanish and a Real Madrid fan, so I had grown up watching them all my life. So that night I realised one of my dreams – to play against Real at the Bernabeu. It was definitely an unbelievable moment for me and my family, but I would say that was one of the games in my career when I was most apprehensive about what was to come. 

As soon as the first whistle went though, I was back in the zone. In fact, I can’t remember much about the game itself, but I do remember having to defend against those guys you mention! It’s amazing, but my main memories from the night are about before and afterwards. I spoke to my dad after the game, and I had some of my cousins there too. It was special for all of us. My family is an immigrant family from Spain to Switzerland, so it was amazing to play against my dad’s team.

When Madrid used to come to Switzerland in pre-season I would go along to get pictures and autographs, and now at the age of 20 I was playing against them on the same pitch! It was a dream. I swapped shirts with Raul after that game, and in the return I think it was Zidane’s that I managed to get. The second game in London was really tough too, chances for both sides, but we defended well and managed to hold on. 

The strength of our team at that time was our resilience and how we defended. We went 10 games without conceding in the Champions League that season. People were ready to sacrifice themselves for the good of the team. Of course we were an attacking side in the Premier League, always playing forward, but in the Champions League we were a different beast, ready to adapt to the challenge. 

The tests kept coming after Madrid game, next up was Juventus, featuring the likes of Ibrahimovic, Mutu and Trezeguet...
For me that was when we really started to believe we could win it, when we beat Juventus at home. We were so confident after beating Madrid, even with Flamini at left-back, myself as a youngster, and a few other young players, but if you beat Madrid you can beat anyone. Beating them at home in the first game was a great advantage for us. Whenever I look at the photos of that game, it all comes back to me. Highbury was a very special place, under the lights, and that game holds a very special place in my heart.

That game was also memorable for the battle between Cesc and Vieira in midfield... 
That’s right, I actually lived with Cesc when I arrived at Arsenal, we were in the same digs. He was like my little brother, a good friend and he still is today. In that game he showed everyone how good he was. We never had any doubt of his quality, but to show it like that on that stage, we realised how special this guy is. 

I think it meant a lot to him as well, he wasn’t very talkative about stuff like that, he preferred to show it on the pitch and that’s what he did. He’s an intelligent player, he knew what was expected when he was playing against Patrick, and he knew everyone was waiting for that. The mobility we had, the passing exchanges we had in the final third was just too much for them at the time.

That got us to a semi-final against Villarreal, what was the atmosphere like that evening at Highbury?
Was that the game with the fox on the pitch? No, the squirrel! I remember it well, and Kolo scored the only goal. Villarreal were a very good team too, with lots of big players. It was an amazing game, an amazing atmosphere, and at that time we all had the belief – players and fans – that we could do something special. We just continued on our run, another game without conceding, we knew that was what we needed to do. 

Unfortunately for me, we played Spurs between those two games, and I injured my knee in that game, so I missed the second leg. I was watching that game at home and my first thought when Jens Lehmann made that amazing last-minute penalty save was that I had better get myself fit quickly! I wanted to make sure I was in contention for the final. That’s what I did, I worked hard and was in the squad for the final.

You were on the bench in Paris against Barcelona, what was the build-up like to that game?
I can’t remember specifically what Arsène said to us before the game, but what I remember overall is a big feeling of belief from us. Throughout the Champions League run we were growing in confidence, and we knew we could take on anyone. People feared us because of the way we played. Our defensive record was special so whether it was Barcelona or anyone else, it didn’t make any difference to us. It’s just unfortunate the way the game went, because I believe that with 11 against 11 we would have had a good chance of winning. 

We were still ahead with about 15 minutes to go, were you watching the clock on the bench thinking it was going to happen?
Of course you are always confident in your team, and you believe that at the end of the game you could be lifting the trophy. But it was so difficult – I think that’s one of the first trophies that Barcelona side won before going on to dominate the competition. That team was very good, and it’s just unfortunate we couldn’t take them on with 11 players.

How disappointed were you not to play, especially given your role in the run to the final?
Yes I was disappointed, but also realistic. I’d been out for a month, and made it to be fit for the final. Sol Campbell came back, played a fantastic game and scored the goal that allowed us to dream. I’m glad and proud that I was part of that Champions League run, even though it finished like it did.

Are you surprised that we haven’t been back to the final since then?
Yes, because we’ve had some great squads since then over the years, and Arsenal should be competing for these types of trophies. So it is surprising, but it also shows the quality of the competition, and you can’t take anything for granted. Making the top four is already a fantastic achievement, getting to the knockout rounds is also a fantastic achievement. Don’t forget you are playing against very good opponents. We are all ambitious, we all want Arsenal to do well, but we have to realise we are playing against the very best.

Finally, are you confident that this team can progress in the competition this season? 
Yes, recently it’s been fantastic to watch. The belief in the team is huge and you get the feeling when they step out onto the pitch that they are going to kill the other team. It seems similar to that squad from 2005/06. I don’t want to make comparisons, but you sense that when they start the game they have the right attitude and it’s great to see. 

This is Arsenal, a huge football club, and it should be there. I want to say that everyone at the club has done a fantastic job to get them competing at this level now. From the sporting director, the board, the coaching staff, the players, the supporters – it’s been great to see the growth over the past few years. It’s amazing to see that development.