Wenger also admits that everyone is living in the shadow of Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Wenger feels that Real and Barca are on a level up from everyone else, and his efforts will be concentrated on making it into the knock-out phase, after already coming through a tricky qualifying clash with Udinese. "Two teams are above the rest this season, Real Madrid and Barcelona," he said. "The rest have to catch up during the season. The competition inside our country has become harder. And outside, Barcelona and Real Madrid have much more financial power. "For us, it's a new start because we are a new squad. "And what is at stake during the group stages for us is to show that we can go through. "They have shown they can win it so, at the moment, it's too early to compare us to them." Wenger also insisted that Manchester City cannot be compared to Barcelona at this stage, adding: "It's a bit early to compare Manchester City with Barca. "That does not take any credit away from Man City but Barca's players have won the World Cup and the team has won two Champions Leagues in the last three seasons. So I think it's too early for City."
