Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is dismayed by his players’ poor tactical awareness after the Champions League defeat to Barcelona at home.
Advertisement
Arsene Wenger was critical of the lack of concentration and precision that his side showed in the second half, as Arsenal fell to a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie at the Emirates.
The opening strike came after the hosts over-committed in search of a goal of their own, with the potentially crucial second coming from a penalty after substitute Mathieu Flamini felled Messi just moments after being introduced.
“Of course I’m disappointed”.
“We’re really happy with the result we got”, he said. I feel we are extremely guilty and we have no excuse for that goal. It’s very hard to take.
“We were disciplined defensively but we knew that if we had to keep it at 0-0, we would keep it at 0-0”.
“We’ve played Arsenal several times and we know what they are capable of doing”.
“We were impatient in the build-up, we lost balls that we usually don’t and that’s not because Barcelona forced us to do it, but just because we were not precise enough in our passing”. That’s exactly what we did.
“It was similar to Monaco”.
But the away side and European champions broke Arsenal’s defence via a cool Messi finish that left Petr cech with no chance.
“I think Barcelona are the best team in Europe but I felt there was room to beat them – that’s my biggest regret”.
Indeed, it is not often that Barca are frustrated as they were on Tuesday.
Messi and his dazzling forward partners in crime Luis Suarez and Neymar were restricted for much of the first half by a committed and tenacious Arsenal, who might have led when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scuffed their clearest opportunity.
“And possibly Laurent Koscielny, as I still think Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano look like midfielders playing in defence at times. That’s when they are most unsafe”.
The two sides will now play in the second leg of the last-16 tie on March 17.
Advertisement
“We want to carry on winning trophies and adding titles to this club because we are in the best team in the world”. Not one goes down without shouting.
