Wenger questions Arsenal´s efforts

Arsene Wenger said his Arsenal players lacked commitment following a 2-1 defeat at struggling Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

Arsenal went down to goals from Adel Taarabt and Samba Diakite in the English Premier League clash at Loftus Road, with Theo Walcott netting for the visitors.

It marked the end of a six-match winning run for the north London club, as they passed up an opportunity to move six points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

“Something was missing today,” Wenger said.

“In the Premier League if you miss something on the commitment front you are beaten. That was the result of the situation today.

“It is very frustrating. They left us the ball and waited for our mistakes.

“We took the ball, didn’t do a lot with it and made mistakes. That makes the result.

“Our performance was not good enough to win this type of game. What we produced was not good enough.”

Asked to pinpoint a specific reason for Arsenal’s lacklustre display, Wenger replied: “I don’t know. It is difficult to single out one reason.

“The players prepared properly. We missed something today and you can see that.

“We didn’t create enough chances. It is very difficult like that. We lost a game when our keeper had nothing to do, it is not the first time this year.”

Wenger was not impressed by the playing surface at Loftus Road, but preferred to give credit to the efforts of the home side.

“The pitch is bad but that doesn’t explain our poor performance,” he said.

“Basically, the performance of QPR explains our bad performance.

“Their individuals had that extra-special commitment that took advantage of us in specific positions defensively.

“We made defensive mistakes today. Overall we can congratulate QPR on their performance.”

QPR manager Mark Hughes backed his team to continue upsetting the odds as they seek to escape the relegation zone.

“We have played really well in our last three home games against some big teams, but I thought this one topped the lot,” Hughes said.

“I thought we were exceptional. We kept our discipline, our shape, and for us to put in the performance and get the result was important.

“If we play at that level from now until the end of the season, we will win more games.”