Thursday, March 28, 2024

Wenger rues ´bad decisions´ from Arsenal

SoccerNews in English Premier League 13 Jan 2016

72 Views

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger felt his players should have killed off Liverpool prior to Joe Allen’s dramatic last-minute equaliser at Anfield.

With the clock winding down, the substitute delighted the home fans with a volley that earned Jurgen Klopp’s men a 3-3 draw in an enthralling contest.

The Gunners have now won just one of their past five Premier League away games and are ahead of Leicester City at the top of the table only on goal difference.

Wenger felt Arsenal had done well to overcome a shaky start in the match, but was unhappy with their play after Olivier Giroud’s second-half goal had put them 3-2 in front.

He told BT Sport: “Of course at the end we looked the most disappointed because we were 3-2 up.

“But I felt as well at 3-2 we are guilty of two or three bad decisions in the final third where we tried to play but we were not together enough and in the end we got caught on the long ball – it is unfortunate.

“I have no doubt about [our character] but of course it is always frustrating when it is 89 minutes and you get caught on such a simple ball. I think that is where we have to look at ourselves – that should not happen.

“Before we should have made it 4-2 and didn’t make the right decision in final third. We had a difficult start – they were on top in the first 20 minutes and I believe after that we came back into the game well. 

“Overall it was a game played with very high pace, total commitment from two teams. Liverpool fought until the last second.”

Wenger felt Arsenal’s infamous 5-1 defeat at Anfield in February 2014 was still playing on the minds of some of his players early on.

He added to BBC Sport: “I felt we had an apprehensive start. We had some bad memories from a few years ago and you could still see that in some players. 

“We went 1-0 down and then we started to play. We come out of the game with a lot of positive but still some regrets.”

Wenger also praised the performance of Giroud, who scored twice in the match to take his Premier League tally to the season to 12 goals.

“Yeah, he played well,” said Wenger. “I think as well he was involved in one or two situations at 3-2 where he could have done more, but overall he has played very well. 

“He had a battle up front – a very physical battle – and he was up for it.” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SoccerNews

Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.

You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

Live Scores

advertisement

Betting Guide Advertisement

advertisement

Become a Writer
More More
Top