Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says it is harder for him to prepare his team to face Hull City than European champions Barcelona.
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The Royals have won only once in the league since the turn of the year but goals from Paul McShane, Michael Hector and Lucas Piazon punished West Brom for a lacklustre display after they had taken the lead through captain Darren Fletcher. The frustration is that we didn’t score and it’s not what we wanted, to have a replay, but between that and going out, we choose the replay.
“I touched it with my fingers and it went on the post and I was just happy it didn’t go in”. Although Eldin Jakupovic made some fine saves, most notably from a Campbell free kick, Wenger’s side were a little untidy when the ball reached the final third and imprecise with their efforts on goal. “And in the end we had 20 shots, 70% possession and no goal, so we can only look at ourselves”.
Arsenal’s three-year unbeaten run in the FA Cup continued but they laboured to beat a second-string Hull side.
Make no mistake about it, the Premier League is the first priority but I would really like to see Le Prof fielding a stronger starting eleven when his Arsenal team take to the field at the KC Stadium.
With Barcelona due to visit for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie in three days time, Wenger dipped deep into his squad, making nine changes to the side that started last weekend’s Premier League meeting with Leicester City.
The FA Cup’s diminished status means the competition is now often used as an opportunity for youngsters, fringe players or those returning from injury lay-offs to get some first-team football under their belts.
Giroud saw a shot saved comfortably a few moments after coming on but Hull spurned a rare chance of its own on the counter-attack when David Meyler fired into the side-netting after being played through by Nick Powell.
“We were not incisive or accurate enough in our passing in the final third”, Wenger, taking charge of his 100th FA Cup game for Arsenal, told BT Sport.
“We started favourites today (Saturday), we won’t be on Tuesday night so on Tuesday night we need great solidarity because we need to defend well, we know that, and make the maximum of our possession what we didn’t do today”. “I want to go home now because they play at 5.30 and I want to watch it”.
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“Of course we’ll try to win this game”.
