“It was a must-win game for Arsenal and they should have played their best team”.
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Auclair acknowledged that it was likely a miscalculation that caused Wenger to start with David Ospina ahead of number one, Petr Cech. Wenger described the suggestion the Columbian shot stopper was responsible for his team’s failure as “a farce”.
“I did not hear one pundit analysing the game”, he said.
“I make the decision that is right on the day and I am accountable on the results of my team and the way we play football”.
“You can not select a team by making a poll before the game and get everybody’s opinion”.
The Frenchman dropped the north London club’s only summer signing Petr Cech to the bench.
“I don t give you why”. But if you have watched the game and you come down to the conclusion that we lost the game because of Ospina, I question your knowledge of football.
“They took the lead three times easily and that is something that should not happen, especially when we are at home”.
“Ospina payed 19 games and kept many clean-sheets”.
League cup game against Sheffield Wednesday in late October? I like the way they play.
Wenger, renowned for his bitter rivalry with Mourinho, snapped: “Stop that story or we stop the press conference”. “But we are not out of it”.
But, after a deflected opener for the visitors through Felipe Pardo and a Theo Walcott equaliser for the Gunners, Ospina failed to deal with a simple corner-kick from Kostas Fortounis and fumbled the ball over the line.
Arsenal hit back again through Alexis Sanchez but Olympiacos sealed victory when substitute Alfred Finnbogason swept home shortly afterwards.
“It leaves us in a bad position but we are still in it”, he added.
Arsenal are out to avoid another Champions League slip-up against Olympiacos this week following defeat in their opener at Dinamo Zagreb.
It’s not because of that we lost the game.
Wenger blamed the lack of “quality in our defensive concentration” for the defeat while he lamented bad luck, too.
With Koscielny set to miss out, Per Mertesacker is expected to line-up alongside Gabriel at the back but Wenger will be hoping they defend a lot better than they did for Olympiacos’ third goal last night, that’s for sure.
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While Wenger cut a frustrated figure, Olympiakos manager Marco Silva was revelling in his club’s first win in England after 12 consecutive defeats.
